Red Like Roses
by moonlitraven14
Summary: After a fight with Torchwick goes wrong, Ruby finds herself in an unfamiliar world. When she runs across the infamous Host Club, Ruby gets wrapped up into a brand new adventure. Still, will Ruby ever make it back to Remnant?
1. Prologue: A New Beginning

**Prologue: A New Beginning**

"Why is it that wherever we go, we always find ourselves in the middle of some evil plot? I mean, we're only students, so why does danger keep seeking us out?" Weiss whined, restocking Myrtenaster's chambers with vials of red and blue dust that she had picked up after taking out the last group of baddies that their team had come upon.

The mission had started as simply as any other that could be assign to the Hunters and Huntresses at Beacon Academy. Therefore, how it ended with them now chasing White Fang members through a sprawling labyrinth was almost as surprising as it was comically routine. The team had gone on a mission to track down a rogue Beowolf that had been spotted wandering far too close to the town's perimeter. Having packed light for the quick trip turned out to be both a blessing and a curse, since the Beowolf had led the members of team RWBY on a chase far from the school grounds and more towards the other end of Vale. By the time they had finally caught up to the Grimm and slain it - Yang taking distinct pleasure in the deed due to having trudge through miles of unbeaten paths that left them filthy in all ways imaginable - the sun was beginning to slip beyond the horizon.

"Well, it is too late to head back now," Weiss said, staring at the setting sun as though she can pull it back into the sky by willpower alone.

"Plus, the last shuttle to the school had just taken off, and another won't be ready until 7 tomorrow morning," Blake added, checking the time on her scroll. They would call for help, but the area they were currently residing in was out of service range.

Ruby began to scan their surroundings, desperate to help her team and take charge. Many of the buildings surrounding them have seen better days, slumped over and in a sort of state that would make it less than ideal to try to camp out in. Finally, she spotted a newer looking building in the distance, just a little walking ways from their current location. When she mentioned it to the others, Yang moved towards it first, desperate to get into shelter before night fell and more Grimm would begin to roam the streets.

"Well, not like we have any other choice," Blake said, Weiss nodding in agreement. The weary Huntresses joined Yang and entered the building, which seemed to be an abandoned warehouse. Only after entering and walking around a little did Ruby begin to wonder just how many time they could possibly be 'in the right place at the right time.' Why is it when all they want to do is rest are they confronted by members of the White Fang and Roman Torchwick? It was still funny, though, looking at the complete shock and surprise on the con's face.

"Ladies! What an unexpected surprise. I honestly am shocked to see you so soon. I feel so unprepared to entertain you right now," the man sputtered uncharacteristically. Quickly smoothing out the wrinkles in his visage, he turned towards the surrounding White Fang member. "Can you guys please take care of this situation for me? I have other things that I must finish." Before the girls could react, he threw a red crystal towards them and fired his cane, causing the crystal to explode in their faces. By the time the Huntresses could see properly again, Roman was gone and White Fang members were advancing on them. Fatigue long forgotten, the girls prepared to fight their way through.

Fast forward several minutes, and the girls were now dashing down underground hallways in search of where Roman could have disappeared. The only reason they found these extensive tunnels was when someone tried to escape underground. However, he probably will never be the same after Yang sent him flying down the ladder, propelled by two dust shells. More White Fang members crawled through the corridors, but the girls made steady progress through the halls.

Which leads them to finally resting long enough to reload and try to make head or tails of their new location. Ruby stared down the two tunnels, both forking off to lead further down into the earth. _Torchwick must be down one of tunnels,_ Ruby thought, looking over her team for an assessment. Aside for some cuts and bruises, everyone seemed to be running at full throttle.

"Alright, team," Ruby shouted, the three Huntresses turning to face her. "Time to split up. Yang, Blake. Go down the left tunnel. Weiss and I will go right. If you find Torchwick, try to separate him from his weapon and tie him up so we can get him to the police. Meet back here in ten minutes."

"Alright!" Yang replied, punching the air with her gauntlets in excitement, earning an exasperated sigh from her partner.

"Let's get moving."

Weiss and Ruby sprinted down the white-washed hallway, weapons at the ready. An eerie quiet settled over their progress, the echoing sounds of boots and heels filling their ears. Someone must be up ahead and was waiting patiently for their arrival, probably staying silent to not give out their location. Two sharp rights and a left later, the pair found themselves in front of a steel door, beckoning them to enter. Ruby gave the icy Huntress a level stare that the girl returned, the two silently cooking up a plan of attack. Weiss unlocked the door with one of her glyphs and slowly crack the door open. Just enough for the two to slip in and confront whatever nasty trap was awaiting them.

Waiting in the center of the room, out in the open for all to see, was a hulking White Fang member. His mask obscured his face, and tattoos could be seen sprawling up his left arm. His weapon was out for the two girls to see, a monstrous contraption that looked to be a human-sized chainsaw of dull grey metal. Behind the wall of muscle was the only other door in the room, leading to some unknown destination. _That must be where Roman is hiding_ , Ruby concluded, knowing Roman's distinct pattern of placing the heavier obstacles in their way the closer they got to him.

The man stared in their direction, aware of their presence, yet he didn't move an inch. Weiss gave Ruby a calculated look, a battle plan hatching between the two Huntresses-in-training. Slowly, Weiss moved closer to the epicenter, drawing the man's attention to her while Ruby moved to stay behind her and in the man's blind spot. Once her partner entered the circle in the middle of the room, a loud whirring sound filled the room, the man revving up his weapon.

He ran at Weiss, swinging his weapon down at the girl. She doesn't blink, sidestepping him while lifting her sword point down so that the chainsaw slid harmlessly down the blade, sparks flying. Spinning, she thrusted at her opponent, sending him stumbling back to avoid getting hit. Fire dust danced down her blade and shot out at the White Fang member, forcing him to use the guide bar to absorb the attacks. All the while, Ruby waited in the background, watching for the signal from her partner to make her move.

"You must be a Schnee," the masked figure sneered. "I will personally enjoy killing you. Maybe I'll chop you into pieces and have them sent back to your company. Yeah. That sounds like a wonderful idea."

The man moved for her again, slicing his weapon horizontally in order to cut her in half. But the heiress had expected this move and placed up a barrier protecting her sides. His weapon slammed into the barrier at full force, shattering the shield and knocking him off balance. This was just what Ruby needed.

"Go. Now!" Weiss yelled, not once looking away from her opponent.

A glowing red glyph appeared midair, heat radiating off of the symbol. Ruby crouched down and quickly channeled her Semblance, exploding forward in a blur of red and roses. She shot straight through the fire glyph, resulting in her temporarily turning into a human fireball. The door located on the other side of the room was composed of strong steel, locked to anyone on the wrong side, but that wouldn't stop Ruby's plan. She rocketed into the door, the fire surrounding her acting like an explosive that sent the door flying off its hinges and down the corridor.

Ruby flew just a bit further down the hall before her Semblance wore off, rolling so that she wouldn't be sent sprawling. Popping up, she continued down the corridor, not once stopping to look back at Weiss's fight. She knew that the white-haired heiress could hold herself, and she would personally get a scolding if she turned back now and allowed Torchwick anymore time. So, confident in her partner's skill, Ruby left her behind and ventured deeper in search of the savvy criminal.

Silence settled down on the scythe-wielder once more, emphasizing the fact of how she was heading off to fight without her team to back her up. But this is what happens to Hunters and Huntresses. They are expected to fight well as individuals as well as a unit, able to divide and conquer without hesitation.

She reached the end of the spiraling corridor with open into another yawning cavern. Unlike its predecessor, this room was very much occupied, large crates towering above her and the growls and snarls of caged Grimm filling the air. High above her, cranes and hooks dangled in the non-existent breeze. She approached cautiously, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of the orange-haired criminal.

A high-pitched scream alerted the young Huntress-in-training of imminent danger. She sprang forward, the ground she once stood upon exploding. Shielding her eyes from the falling debris, she spotted Roman walking out from behind a stack of crates, swinging his cane nonchalantly.

"Well, well, well. I had kinda hoped you would be the one to come and face me, Red. It has been quite some time since we have spared against each other one-on-one. I was beginning to assume you think I was too threatening to fight on your own."

Ruby narrowed her eyes at the jab, choosing not to comment. She quickly pulled up her scythe and fired a shot at the arrogant man. He predicted her move, lifting his cane and spinning it so that the bullet hit its side, falling harmlessly to the ground. He smirked and shot off three more rockets, forcing Ruby to dash behind a stack of crates for cover.

"Come on, Red. Where's that bravado of yours? Didn't you personally want to put me behind bars? If that's so, then you're going to have to try a lot harder than that!" Roman fired his cane at the other end of the room, exploding the lock from several of the cages holding the Grimm at bay. Then, he fired the curved end of his cane skyward, catching one of the dangling hooks, and shot up to safety.

Groaning, Ruby quickly set to work with finishing off the snarling Grimm charging at her. She tapped into her Semblance a tiny bit to propel herself into her enemies, whirling Crescent Rose in a deadly tornado of rose petals and steel. She plowed through the Grimm, killing them off in seconds, and then use a sniper shell to rocket herself to the dangling criminal.

Roman dropped to the ground, rolled and sprang up, shooting off more projectiles for Ruby to avoid as he dashed for cover. With his weapon, long-range attacks would be more effective against a powerful close-combat weapon like Ruby's scythe. If Ruby could back Roman into a corner where his tiny cane would be no match for Crescent Rose's size and reach, then victory would be hers.

Hitting the ground in a roll, she popped up behind a stack of crates, formulating her next move. With her team, she could've used Blake and Weiss's close-quarter counterstrikes to corner the man while Yang eliminated any possible threat that could arise. However, Ruby was alone right now, and she greedily wanted to be the one to personally hand the orange-haired criminal off to the police. So, she was going to have to depend on her speed advantage in order to overwhelm him and go from there. Satisfied with the plan, she peered out from behind her hiding spot to pinpoint her opponent's location. Surprisingly, he was standing in the center of the room for Ruby to see, not even trying to hide.

Roman smiled wickedly, his face twisting into an evil sneer. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out what Ruby thought was an oddly-shaped cigar. Only until the fluorescence light struck it did she see the reddish-black light emit from it, bathing the criminal in an eerie glow.

What the man held daintily between his fingers was probably the strangest dust crystal Ruby had ever laid her silver eyes on. She racked her brain to try and remember the lectures on dust given by her teacher back at Signal Academy. Unfortunately, the only memory she could conjure up was making childish doodles of her teacher instead of actually taking notes. What can she say, she was a doer, not a reader.

Still, she had been in enough dust shops and has hung around Weiss long enough to know that the thin crystal clutched in Roman's gloved fingers was something new. Something new and dangerous.

"This," Roman announced, indicating the thin black crystal with a flourish, "is the newest advancement in dust technology. Recently discovered, this crystal is the rarest of them all to come by. But, thanks to my employer, I was granted this beauty for my services to the cause."

He lowered his head, the bowler hat casting shadows over his face. "I believe now is the opportune time to see what this baby can do."

Ruby's head snapped up. He wasn't crazy enough to attempt to use a dust crystal without knowing its use. She watched the orange-haired criminal, hoping that he was joking. The only result she got was a deranged look in his eye, his madness causing her stomach to fall. Panicked, she leapt out from behind the crates and made a mad dash towards him, a scream ripping from her throat.

"Stop!"

Roman threw his head back, spreading his arms wide as if awaiting retribution. "Come now, Red! Let's descend into Hell together!" He flung the crystal into the air, reddish-black light cascading downward as it twisted in dead space. Before Ruby could catch it, faster than her Semblance could kick in, he swung his cane skyward, took aim, and fired.

"No!" Ruby screamed in horror as the rocket collided with the thin crystal, the sound of shattering glass puncturing the air.

At first, nothing happened. Ruby was about to let out a shaky breath of relief when she heard a whooshing sound. The shattered remains of the crystal began to swirl and form a massive red-and-black cloud. Her skirt snapped in the sudden increase of wind, a tempest beginning to stir around her. She sunk Crescent Rose's blade as deep into the concrete as she could in hopes it would keep her anchored as the world spun out of control.

The crates she had been hiding behind lifted off the ground, snatched up by the storm's claws. They flew higher and higher, almost weightless, until they reached the malevolent cloud. When they made contact with it, the crates disappeared one by one without a sound.

Ruby gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on Crescent Rose's hilt as the tempest picked up faster and faster. Dozen more crates flew towards the reddish-black cloud, only to blink out of existence the second it made contact. _Please_ , she cried out in her mind. _Please let this nightmare end!_

She heard a pop sound and was vaguely aware of her body lifting towards the Heavens, her scythe still firm in her grip. She squeezed her eyes shut against the rushing wind. She was only aware of the roaring wind, a delirious cackle, rippling fabric, and a scream that sounded almost like her own. She opened her eyes in time to see the last flash of red as she crossed the threshold and disappeared into a silent oblivion.

X

 **And there we are. I have been tinkering with this story crossover idea for a little while now, and have finally decided to post it. I will try to post regularly, but no guarantees because I'm a horrible person sometimes. Anyway, that's all for now and I'll see you later. :)**


	2. Chapter 1: A New World

**Chapter 1: A New World**

A soft groan left her lips as Ruby rolled over. She suddenly sprung up, spitting out the dirt she had inhaled. As she wiped the last remaining traces of dirt from her tongue, the young reaper began to take in her surroundings. Bright light filtered through the canopy of pink trees, flower petals cascading gently down toward her.

 _So, I'm in a forest_ , she thought, but which one she was in she was unsure of. Definitely not Forever Falls, known for its red leaves and particularly tasty sap. But she couldn't exactly pin her location as the Emerald Forest, what with those trees lacking in gorgeous flowers due to the slew of Grimm wandering about. _So, just where did I get transported to?_

Standing up and dusting off her skirt, she picked a direction and began to walk. As she wandered, she tried to take in her surroundings, get a feel for the land. Once again, she felt like a fish out of water. Not only was she still tired and muddied from her previous mission, but now she had a serious headache as a result of whatever that weird crystal Roman had did.

 _Wait. If I was teleported here, then Torchwick should be somewhere nearby._ Ruby's heart skipped at the realization. _If I'm gonna face down Torchwick again, I need to find my team first_. She pulled out her scroll and dialed Yang's number, hoping to hear her sister's familiar voice. But, the line was dead. Worried, she changed tactics and called her partner, waiting for the irritated voice to chide her for being so reckless. Once again, no such luck. Even when she dialed Blake's scroll, nothing. She couldn't contact a single member of her team.

Now Ruby was really nervous. The CCT towers never go down, and their scrolls were all at full charge when they left the school campus. So, either her team was purposely not answering, or she was somewhere where her scroll would not be able to get a connection. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, the Huntress-in-training decided to push aside her fear and follow the guidelines set in place by her teachers if separated from the group: find someone who knows the area and slowly return to a location that will make it easier to be found.

Onward she walked, silver eyes peeled for danger and Crescent Rose on standby around her hip. After what felt like hours of walking, probably due to her sore feet, she spotted a break in the tree line. She quickly approached the area, taking note of the destruction in the scene. A patch of trees had been ripped to shreds by some unknown force, splintering several of them and creating a clear area for whatever had caused such damage to rest. Poking her head out from behind a tree, she gasped at the sight. The cause of all of this destruction had been by a dozen or so large crates, each decorated with a snowflake symbol. _These are the crates from the room where I fought Torchwich_ , Ruby realized, dashing out from the tree line to inspect them at close range. While she noticed that not all of the crates from the room were present, a large amount was. Upon further inspection, the crates were filled with dust vials and crystals, a myriad of ammunition, and even several different types of weapons.

Reloading her clips and filling her pack with extra dust vials and rounds just in case, Ruby closed up the crates and threw some of the shattered tree trunks on top in order to poorly conceal them. Content with her work, she wandered back into the forest in search of a phone or something to get in contact with her team or school and arrange a pick up. More time flew by as she trudged through the trees, the flower petals her only companion. Just when she was about to lose hope and circle back, she spotted another clearing ahead, this one definitely man-made.

Despite being tired, Ruby couldn't help but use her Semblance to shoot closer to the clearing, her red rose petals mingling with the dainty pink ones. She stopped just before hitting a fence, comically pinwheeling her arms in an effort to stop. The fence jutted high above the tiny reaper's head, stretching so far to either side that they disappeared from her viewpoint. Beyond the fence line was what Ruby could only describe as one of the most beautiful buildings she had ever seen. It almost put Beacon to shame. A bell tower rose high above, ringing out the five o'clock hour, sending white doves to fly off towards an already waning sun. Accompanying the bell tower was what looked like a mix between a school and a church, shaded in the same pink as the flowers from the forest. She could see other, smaller buildings connected to the main building by ornate walkways, outlined by decorative ponds and gardens.

 _Man. Weiss would absolutely love this_ , Ruby thought, staring at the enclosing with awe. When the bells finally stopped chiming, Ruby snapped out of her daze, determination filling the young girl once again. She quickly hopped over the fence, with the help of her Semblance, and slowly began to make her way towards the largest building. If this was like any other academy, she should be able to find a student or teacher with a scroll that would allow her to call her team.

As she walked towards the building, she did allow herself to admire the scenery around her. The ponds were a clear crystal blue with strange green plants floating lazily alongside more of the shedded pink petals. The lawns were also meticulously trimmed, the hedges done up to proudly display some of the most stunning array of flowers she had ever seen.

Even the inside of the building was as elegant as its cover. Pillars arched upward in the main hallway, giving the whole space an airy and uptight feel. She soon stumbled along a large stairwell, complete with crimson-colored steps and an ornate steel handrail. Ruby walked up the staircase to the top floor, glancing down the long hallway before setting forth in her search.

 _Where is everyone? It's only the afternoon, so why is everything so quiet?_ Ruby pondered as she meandered down the pink hallways, pausing to look out the decorative window at the empty courtyard below. She knew she was in an academy of some sort, but was confused by the lack of weaponry, armor, and stuffed Grimm head usually mounted on the walls. Also, the lack of student chattering and echoing clash of steel and ammunition round being fired set Ruby further on edge. She peered into an empty classroom halfway down the hall, its chalkboard clean and seats unoccupied.

Door by door, she checked each room, growing more discouraged with each discovery. Just a bunch of empty classrooms with no people and no way to call for help. Sighing she reached the door at the end of the hall, pausing to read the sign dangling above.

"Music Room #3," Ruby read out load, peering up at the fancy scribe. Leaning in closer to the door, she could make out voices on the other side. _Finally_ , Ruby sighed in relief, pushing open the door in hopes that someone on the other side could finally give her the answers she has been looking for.

What she found on the other side was not at all what she had been expecting.

The second the doors opened, she was introduced to a blinding white light and a flurry of red rose petals. She threw her arms up to protect herself from the sudden light, straining to see beyond the blaze. Finally, as the light dimmed a little, her silver eyes began to take in the new room. But, she paused, staring at what could only be the strangest ensemble she had ever seen in her life.

There were seven guys total, all appearing to be around the ages of the first-years at Beacon Academy. There was a guy with blond hair and vibrant blue eyes that reminded Ruby of her fellow leader, Jaune. A boy with raven hair and glasses shielding his eyes stood on the blond kid's left, while two identical teens with orange hair draped almost affectionately upon one another occupy the space behind the spectacled student. Besides the twins, a tall, dark-haired teen stood with a smaller blond sitting on his shoulders. The smaller one almost looked her age, but she wasn't going to be quick to draw conclusions. Finally, a boy with brown hair and large chocolate eyes accompanies the blond's right. _Wait. Scratch that_ , Ruby corrected. A _girl_ is standing next to the blond-haired boy. _Huh, strange_.

"Welcome!" they chime in unison, flashing bright smiles at the confused Huntress-in-training.

"Um…" was the only thing the young reaper could say in response. She needed information badly, but her train of thought has been unexpectedly derailed.

"Oh man, boss. It's just some kid," the two identical teens said at the same time, creeping Ruby out a little.

"Hey! I'm fifteen, I'll have you know. So, technically a teen," Ruby responded, puffing her cheeks slightly at the jab. The twins only shrugged in response, slowly sliding away from the rest of the group and winding their way over to her.

"Sure, say whatever you want. You're still just a chibi kid," they replied, slipping an arm around her shoulders and glaring down at her with mischievous grins. Ruby was half tempted to pull out Crescent Rose, but was beaten to the punch when the two were whacked upside the head with a tea tray. Silver eyes warily watched as the two teens turned on the disguised girl, the tea tray still present in her hand.

The girl sighed, shaking her head at the two boys. "Come on, you guys. In case you forgot, we're fifteen as well." Moving around the boys, the girl stuck a hand out at the Huntress-in-training, a bright smile on her face. "Sorry about that. They just love to pick on people they find interesting. My name's Haruhi Fujioka."

"Mine's Ruby Rose."

The two girls shook hands, while the two boys wandered off to join the others as they continued their earlier tasks. Ruby could see the boys cleaning up a crazy number of tables and chairs, as well as putting away lovely tea sets in an adjacent room. These guys were definitely high-class, Ruby could tell, but why was it necessary to have such an elegant set up for what should be a combat school?

The blond and bespectacled students approached Ruby and Haruhi, stopping just shy of the two girls. " _Bonjour_ , my little flower. It is quite lovely for you to grace us with your smile. I hope we can get to know one another quite well," the blond smiled, bowing slightly and extending a red rose to the silver-eyed girl. While she knew that he was being charming - _Jaune could pick up a few things from him_ \- it only seemed to confuse the teen even more.

Clearing his throat, the raven-haired boy stepped forward, intercepting the rose exchange. "Yes, well. This is fine and all, but I'm afraid that the Host Club is closed right now, young miss. If you would like, I can pencil in a time for you next Monday if you want to come visit us so badly," he announced in an apologetic tone.

Now Ruby's mind was spiraling. _Host Club_? _What in the name of Oum is that?_ Flustered, she waved her hands in front of her, trying to get back to the burning question that sent her on her quest. "No, not at all. I'm very sorry to interrupt, but I am currently lost and would very much like some help."

The trio's eyes widen in realization, nodding in understanding. "Why, of course we can help you find your way back, you poor lost flower," the blond exclaimed, twirling about in an added display of flamboyance. "Now, where might we be able to escort you back to?"

"It's quite alright, really," Ruby quickly replied, shaking her head vigorously. She pulled out her scroll and started filing through it. "I don't wish to bother you anymore. You see, my scroll's not working and I can't get ahold with my team. I was wondering if you could lead me somewhere that I could call Beacon Academy and have an airship come and pick me up. We got separated during a mission hunting down some Grimm, and I really need to get back to them."

Exhaling in relief, she casted her silver eyes upward in hopes that someone would make a move to assist her. But, all her got in return were three blank faces staring back at her. Even the four boys hanging around in the background have started moving in, confused at the words she just said.

The raven-haired boy slid his glasses back up his face, the light reflecting off the surface and obscuring any emotion that he could have. "I'm sorry, but I believe that I didn't hear you correctly. Do you mind repeating your question?"

So, Ruby did, hoping that they had just misheard the first time around. Her heart once again plummeted when she received even more confused faces, the boys even turning to each other to ask questions like she wasn't there.

"Karou, what a 'Grimm'?" one of the identical auburn-haired boys asked, the other shrugging in response.

"Ne, ne, Mori-senpai. Is she asking about an airplane?" the short blond asked, tugging on the larger male's sleeve. A small grunt was the only reply the man gave.

"Ruby…" Haruhi began slowly, and Ruby could feel herself go cold. She knows that tone of voice; she's heard her father use that on her enough times to know that it was the bringer of bad news. "We have no idea what's you're talking about. There's no such place as Beacon Academy." The boys nodded in the background, confirming her statement.

Now it made sense. The inability to contact her team. The large, elegant buildings with such thin barriers protecting itself from the forest beyond. The lack of students wandering the halls after school. The absence of anything related to combat and weaponry. _I know that the crystal teleported me, but I never expected that it would cause me to leave my own world behind._

"Just where in Oum am I?" Ruby moaned, sinking into a conveniently-placed chair, tucking her face into her hand. She could hear the boys around her moving swiftly to comfort her, one boy – probably the blond – ordering someone to prepare a cup of 'commoner's coffee.' She couldn't believe it. She was still a Huntress-in-training, not prepared to take on the task of sudden world relocation. Her team, what happened to her team? Are they still okay? Did they make it out of the underground hideout alright, or did they get sucked in as well, wandering about in an unfamiliar world? She shook her head in defeat, trying to figure out what to do now.

Whatever plan she was formulating, or whatever words of comfort Haruhi was going to shed on the distressed girl was drowned out by a sudden, high-pitched scream, and the sound of glass shattering. Not a fake scream, like the one David gives when he's hit by the bus in her favorite show, "Camp Camp," but one conjugated from pure horror. Head snapping up, Ruby searched for the source, quickly sizing up the situation. For the umpteenth time that day, she was at an awe at the sight before her.

One of the windows had blown in from a powerful force, glass shards raining down as delicately as the crystals making up the chandeliers in the room. The blond was screaming in terror as a monstrous creature reared its head back and let out an ear-piercing howl. _It's a Beowolf!_ Ruby realized, staring at the Grimm standing in the middle of the room. There must have been more crates containing Grimm in the room where she fought Torchwick. But now she was in the crosshairs of a dangerous situation. A creature of Grimm has appeared in the room, currently occupied by unarmed civilians.

Ruby sprung to her feet, all former worries melting away as the cold instinct of combat began to take control of her body. The blond and spectacled boy were rushing over to join Haruhi and Ruby by the other end of the room, closer to the exit. She prepared to shout that everyone to escape, to get out of the way as she reached for Crescent Rose, but two strong arms grabbed ahold of her. Lifted off the ground, she was rushed towards the exit, away from the impending fight.

"What are you doing?! Put me down! I can help!" Ruby shouted, straining to free herself from the viper grip. The hands encasing her arms only tightened in response, never slowing in their pace.

"There's no way we're going to leave a lady in such a dangerous situation," the boy holding her – she believed his name was Karou – said, shouting to be heard over the Beowolf's cries. "Besides, we have someone on the case."

Ruby twisted her head around to watch as two of the boys from earlier, the taller dark-haired teen and the shorter blond always hanging around him, circled and leapt around the Grimm, keeping its attention on them. The taller one – Mori – had produced a long spear-sword while the other heckled the beast with handfuls of shuriken. While they were doing a good job at keeping the monster at bay, they were also succeeding at further ticking it off. It howled, swinging a paw at Mori, who moved to dodge the swipe. However, a banana peel had suddenly found its way in Mori's path, and the large teen slipped as a result. This was just what the Grimm needed and, with exceptional speed, struck the boy with a follow up swipe, sending him flying backwards several feet and his spear sliding off to his left.

"Mori!" the shorter boy cried, speeding up his attacks to reach his fallen friend. Even though the boy held the fiery eyes of a Huntsman, Ruby knew he was still out powered. At this rate, the creature would overwhelm the duo before they could land an effective hit. She sped up her escape, twisting and turning with newfound ferocity. Finally, she was able to wiggle her way out of the twin's grasp and sprinted back towards the room to help. The other boys cried out after her, calling at her to come back and run away. But, she would never turn from a fight. She was a Huntress, and it was her duty to protect others who couldn't protect themselves.

Tapping into her recovering aura, she channeled her Semblance, aiming herself at the young boy seconds away from being snatched up in the Beowolf's jaw. She launched herself forward, rose petals trailing in her wake, and crossed the massive room in a matter of seconds, grabbing the boy tightly along the way as she flew by. She slowed as she reached the opposite wall, setting the blond down and glancing back at the room. The Beowolf has now diverted its attention from Mori, fixating its red eyes on the reaper. She smirked, pulling out Crescent Rose and switching into scythe mode. Not wasting a moment to look over at the shorter blond's stunned expression, she launched herself at the beast, blade hungry for action.

She rolled under a swiping paw, slicing through its legs as she flew on by. It screamed in pain and anger, but she didn't hesitate. The girl sprung onto the creature's back, positioning her scythe like a Grimm reaper around its neck. It snarled one last time, red eyes gleaming at her smirk, and she pulled the trigger, propelling herself upward while decapitating the beast at the same time. It was slowly disintegrating as she landed in her classic scythe pose, its black ashy remains shifting among her rose petals.

As she moved to go check on the two boys, returning her scythe to its resting position, she was grabbed by her arms and spun around quickly. Her field of view of quickly flooded by the ecstatic and worried faced of Haruhi and the other boys, her hearing bombarded by a dozen questions and comments flying at her at dizzying speed.

"Are you alright?"

"That was incredible!"

"I was soooo worried!"

"How did you go that fast?!"

"Hikaru, I believe that might have been a 'Grimm'."

"Can I get one of those?"

Haruhi must have noticed the reaper's discomfort, and quickly shooed the boys back to give the girl some space. Ruby nodded thanks, Haruhi smiling back.

"So, do you want to tell us was that was all about?" Haruhi asked, now that the situation had settled down.

Ruby nodded. "That was a creature of Grimm, one of the monsters from my world that prey on negative emotions." She swore she saw the boy Karou turn to the other with an I-told-you-so look.

"Your world?"

"That's right," Ruby confirmed.

The raven-haired boy stepped forward, angling his glasses to look down at the girl with sharp, calculating eye. "I can see that you have quite a lot of explaining to do, Miss Rose. Especially after the disaster you and that 'Grimm' caused to our club room." Ruby cringed a little when she glanced behind the group, claw marks embedded in ash-stained tile that was sprinkled with shattered glass and rose petals.

While not being around her friends in an unfamiliar world was making her extremely nervous, Ruby had a gut instinct that she could trust these guys. If she was going to get back home, she was going to have to trust others with info from her world in order to function in theirs. Besides, they all seemed really nice, those the glasses guy was giving her a serious Ice Queen vibe.

Sighing, she shut her eyes for a moment to compose herself, and then opened them. Seven pairs of eyes stared back at her, waiting for her to explain just what crazy events she was about to drag them into. She steeled herself, putting on her leader face, and spoke.

"My name is Ruby Rose, and I am a Huntress."

X

 **And that's a wrap, folks! Ruby finally meets the infamous Host Club and everyone is completely unaware just how drastically their worlds were about to change. Thank you to everyone who has read, favorited and followed the story so far, and I would love to hear your thoughts about it. See you next time! :)**


	3. Chapter 2: A New Member

**Chapter 2: A New Member**

Outside the window, the large clock tower chimed six o'clock, sending more doves flying into the setting sun. It has been one hour since Ruby had awoken in this unfamiliar world, separated from her team, her friends, and any fragment of normality. One hour since she had wandered onto Ouran Academy - Haruhi informed her - and had everything turned onto its head. As well as meet seven new strangers and fight a stray Beowolf. Now, she sat on a couch in the room she recently dusted a Grimm in, sipping on a coffee loaded with cream and sugar and absorbing the silence sliced through by the chimes. Seven faces stared back at her, taking in her story and trying to work through the fact that everything she told them was true. That she was from a world called Remnant, festering with creatures of Grimm that Huntsmen and Huntresses combat. That she was a warrior-in-training, having already dealt with Grimm surges and the occasional baddie. That she had been fighting a renowned criminal before being dusted away and landing in their world.

One boy cleared his throat, finally breaking the silence. Silver eyes turned to the raven-haired boy she now knew as Kyoya. "So, Miss Rose. You were transported here by the effect of some unknown 'dust crystal,' and have no way to return to your world unless you find the man who did this to you?"

She sighed. "That pretty much sums it all up."

The other twin, who had introduced himself as Hikaru, sprung up and turned to her. "Well then. Let's find this jerk and make him fix this mess." The boy was looking ready to brawl but his twin grabbed his arm and pulled him back onto the adjacent couch.

"It's not that simple, Hikaru. He's a famous criminal and was separated from her when they landed. Who knows where he could be hiding?" The others nodded in agreement.

"Kyoya, can you put an alert out with the police to keep an eye out for this man?" The blond – Tamaki – asked, his expression suddenly sullen. "If he's as dangerous as Ruby says, he could go around stirring up trouble."

Kyoya adjusted his glasses, typing furiously on his phone. "Already done. I have also informed my family's personal task force to report any sightings or information regarding his whereabouts and to arrest him on site. He will be held until Miss Rose is ready to speak with him if taken into custody."

Ruby smiled. "Thank you all very much for helping me out with all of this. However, until we find Torchwick, I'm not sure what to do."

"Well…" a voice started.

"Tamaki-sempai, don't do it," Haruhi warned.

"Until it is time for you to confront this man and return to your home world, you shall become a member of the Host Club," Tamaki finished, springing up and pointing at her with a bright grin.

Ruby blinked in confusion, looking up at the grinning blond. "What's a Host Club?"

"Here we go," one of the twins stated.

Tamaki smiled. "Why, my flower. Only those with excellent social standing and those from _filthy rich_ families are lucky enough to spend their time at the elite private school: Ouran Academy. The Ouran Host Club is where the school's handsomest boys with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have _way_ too much time on their hands. Just think of it as the Ouran Academy's elegant playground for the super-rich and beautiful."

Finished with his speech, Tamaki gave a dramatic bow that sent the other boys into a round of applause. Except for Haruhi, who seemed to be groaning into her arm at the senior's dramatic explanation.

Ruby blinked once more, wrapping her head around Tamaki's performance. "So," she started slowly. "The Host Club is just a place where boys hang out with girls?"

"Well," Karou began. "I guess that's one way to put it."

"Huh," Ruby replied, casting her silver gaze over the group. "So then, why would Haruhi need to join such a club if she's a girl?"

This caught the teens by surprise. They stared at the Huntress-in-training in awe at how she was able to pick up such a detail. "Ruby-chan, how did you know Haruhi-chan was a girl?" Honey asked.

"I could tell the second I walked in," Ruby confirmed. "Though not in practice anymore, many women throughout Remnant history used to dress up as males in order to prove themselves on the battlefield. This was before the term Huntress came to be." She thanked what little information she had retained from Oobleck's lessons for that.

Haruhi nodded. "Well, I don't have such a noble reason to be in the club. I'm a member due to… unfortunate circumstances." Ruby swore she heard Kyoya snicker slightly in the background.

The twins made their way over to the young reaper and slung their arms around her shoulders, grinning down at her. "Come on, it will be a lot of fun," they whined.

"I don't know…"

"Miss Rose, if I may," Kyoya interrupted, adjusting his glasses. "While you may not be acquainted with this world, I would highly suggest joining the club. That way, you may have the resources needed to adjust until such time as you can return to Remnant."

Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but Kyoya shot a hand up to stop her. "As well, you need to pay back the damages inflicted upon our clubroom due to your fight with that 'Grimm' creature." Ruby winced at she glanced back to see the wrecked room.

She sighed in defeat, acknowledging what she had to do. "Alright, I'll join the Host Club."

"Woo-hoo!" Honey shouted, jumping up onto the girl and twirling her about in excitement. "We're going to have so much fun together, Ruby-chan! We can eat cake and cookies and play lots of games!" Ruby laughed at the boy's energy, especially when Mori had to come over and pluck him off of her.

"Wait, Tamaki-senpai," Haruhi interjected. "If Ruby is going to join the club, then doesn't that mean she would need to attend Ouran Academy? Where is she even going to live?"

This caused everyone to pause. Haruhi did have a good point: Where _was_ she going to stay? She was terribly unprepared for an elongated trip away from Beacon, what with most of her possessions still stored away in her dorm room. Ruby fiddled with the hem of her skirt, once again becoming aware of her ragged appearance. _I really wish my team was here_.

"Well, then. I guess she'll just have to stay with me," a voice proclaimed, startling everyone. Ruby turned her head towards the source and was stunned to find her gaze settling on the blond-headed Tamaki, who was grinning happily at the idea.

Hikaru made the first move. "Are you sure, boss?"

"Would your father be alright with that?" Karou finished.

Tamaki waved off their concerns, once again bringing on the theatrics as he made his way over. "Why, of course. I was the one who offered for Ruby to join our lovely club, and it would be very ungentleman like to not host her for the time being. If I were to turn my back on such a genuine flower, to leave her cold and alone in this cruel, new world, then what kind of man would I be?" He stopped in front of the young reaper, extending a hand. "Would you like to stay in my abode for now, flower?"

Reluctantly, Ruby took his hand, slightly embarrassed at the dramatic way of asking. "Sure, Tamaki. I will." She gasped when he yanked her in and spun her around at a speed that left her dizzy.

"The it's settled, but on one condition," Tamaki said, abruptly stopping the spinning and pushed her out to arm's length. "You are to call me Uncle Tamaki."

Haruhi groaned behind her at the request, and the other hosts seem to have their own way of reacting to the news. Ruby, however, blinked. She stared at the blond teen, but at the same time was thinking of another similarly named individual. A drunken, scythe-wielding socialite with actions many wouldn't think belong to a role model that could even make messy hair look cool. An image so contrasting to the well-cut boy in front of her that she started giggling. When Tamaki gave her a confused look that parallel that of a lost puppy, she burst into laughter, rolling on the ground in an attempt to control herself.

"Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help but think about my Uncle Qrow when you asked," she explained to the confused teen in between her laughter, wiping away some of the tears forming. "Sure, I can call you that, _Uncle_ Tamaki."

As she began another wave of laughter, Tamaki just smiled, seeming happy with her answer, and ordered the rest of the Host Club to finish cleaning up so they can all go home for the day. Haruhi stood by, waiting for Ruby's laughing fit to settle and then helped her back to her feet.

"Be glad that he's only asking you to call him that. Tamaki-senpai has this delusion that the Host Club is some sort of family, where he's the father and I'm somehow his daughter," Haruhi groaned, glancing over in the direction of the boys, who were finally putting away the last of the equipment from the day. "I already have one dad, so I'm not really in the mode for another one."

"I think that's really sweet," Ruby supplied. "Besides, I rather have another Uncle. My dad is weird as it is as well, so I don't know if I could have another." This sent the two girls into another fit of laughter, and they just knew that they were going to become really good friends.

"Ahem."

The two turned to see Kyoya standing slightly behind them, the club room having finally been packed up for the day. Except, of course, for the remnants of the battle. The boy fiddled once again with his glasses, almost like it was a quirk. "I have placed a call in with the school to get you registered to attend starting Monday, Miss Rose. We will have your uniform delivered by that morning. I also pulled a few strings to have our club room repaired over the weekend without any trouble at all."

"Really, Kyoya-senpai?" Haruhi asked, gesturing to the shattered window and claw marks. "How do you plan to have this cleaned up without telling anyone the truth."

Kyoya smiled. "Why, I just explained that one of the tigers we were borrowing for the day got a little rowdy after hours. Nothing too concerning, since it's not like it hasn't happened before."

The two girls gaped at him, trying to believe if what he said was true. Luckily, Honey was able to fill in the blank. "Before you joined Haruhi-chan, one of the lions we had got out of its cage and scratched up the floor. I was able to get it back in, though."

Kyoya seemed to ignore the looks of horror flashing on the other member's faces at the memory. "I may not seem to be the most likely liar," he said, "but I can still toe the line on authorized club activity damages."

Seeming to take the girls' incredulous stares as an acceptable answer, he turned to Ruby. "That should be all for right now. Is there anything else we need to know about, Miss Rose?"

She was about to say no when she remembered something. Something so important that forgetting it would've landed her in deeper waters. "Actually, when I arrived here, I crashed in the forest next to the school. As well as some of the crates that were in the room I fought Torchwick." She explained that with what was inside of them, she couldn't leave them out in the open for anyone else to find.

Kyoya nodded, humming in understanding. "I'll have those moved to a proper care facility, in the meantime."

"Thanks, Kyoya," Ruby said, smiling.

"Now that that's all out of the way, I would like to make an announcement!"

All attention now turned to Tamaki, who was standing in front of the shattered window, hands propped on his hips like some superhero pose. "In order to properly welcome Ruby to the Host Club, I say that we all get together tomorrow for a fun day of shopping and touring the town! We'll take my family's car, of course, so everyone be ready for pick up in the morning. Haruhi, you also shall accompany us, for your commoner knowledge of local sights is crucial."

"All right!" everyone replied. Except for Haruhi, who was currently mumbling under her breath about 'damn rich people.' With that, the Host Club, Ruby in tow, made their way through the school and into the courtyard to be picked up, with promises to meet the next day to introduce Ruby to her new world.

"Come, Miss Rose," Tamaki said, extending a hand. "Let us return home, as well."

"Sure thing, _Uncle_ Tamaki," Ruby giggled, taking his hand.

X

 **And that's a wrap! Thank you to all who have favorited and followed the story so far, and I would like to give a shout out to MegaElite and foxchick1 for their comments on the last chapter. See you next time! :)**


	4. Chapter 3: A New World part 2

**Chapter 3: A New World part 2**

When Ruby woke up, she couldn't remember where she was. Dazed, she sluggishly wiped the sleep from her eyes and began to take in her surroundings.

Instead of the usual eagle view from the precariously hanging bunk of her dorm, she saw a leveled view of an openly spacious bedroom dyed a ridiculous amount of pink. Rose walls and a blush-colored carpet adorn by a magenta-stained rug enclosed her. A delicate, glass chandelier hung overhead like a large cluster of raindrops. The bed she occupied was different, too; its snow-colored frame and satin sheets sharply contrasting the austere ensemble provided by Beacon Academy.

It suddenly dawned on her what was going on, why she hadn't woken to blaring music, idle bickering or the scratching of pencils desperate to finish a forgotten homework assignment. One glance at the luxurious room reminded her that she was not at Beacon. Nor in Remnant at all.

"That's right," Ruby said, groaning at the events of the last 24 hours came rushing back to her. Despite feeling refreshed from a good night's sleep, her head pounded fiercely from the severe whiplash of her new reality. She shook her head, hoping to lose some of the grogginess, and got up in search of some breakfast.

 _First things first_ , she thought, _I need to find my clothes_. Gazing around the room, she spied what must be a wardrobe, the same snowy white as the bed. She crossed the room to it and opened the double doors.

Inside was her combat uniform, but it looked slightly different. Her clothes were spotless and freshly ironed to perfection, like she had bought them yesterday. Even her cape was flawless; a stain left over after a friendly cafeteria war with Nora weeks ago having seemingly vanished. Any indication of the ragged Huntress-in-training that arrived the day before had been washed away.

Pulling out her boots, Ruby was stunned to see even they got a make-over: polished and shined until the leather looked brand-new.

She shook her head, trying to remember the events of the night before as she began changing. She remembered riding over to Tamaki's house – in some luxury car called a limo – and talking to him about Ouran Academy. He told her that since his father was the chairman of the school, she should have no trouble getting in. After arriving at a grand mansion that would make even Weiss jealous, they were ushered through a grand foyer into an as equally grand dining room. She couldn't really recall anything from that time except for how unbelievably good the food was, slightly salivating at the memory of the previous night's meal. Quickly inhaling her food, she was then escorted to a private room after saying goodnight to Tamaki. The rest of the night's activities were a blur: a quick shower, unconsciously changing into a nightgown and then crashing onto the bed and falling into a dreamless sleep.

Dressed, Ruby made her way to the door but paused. She spied her beautiful Crescent Rose sitting on a desk by the window, beckoning her. She grabbed her weapon and expanded it, now having the time to truly assess the damages from the previous day. She was stunned to see that, much like her clothes, her scythe had been taken care of as well: oiled, polished, and sharpened to a deadly point. Her belt, as well, was repaired and prepped for the day, shotgun shells at the ready.

Her outfit Ruby might have understood, but her _Crescent Rose_ as well? _Just what kind of people does Tamaki have working in his home?_ Ruby wondered, attaching her prized possession securely to her hip and exited the room.

The hallways were brightly lit by the morning light streaming through crystal-clear glass windows. Ruby walked down the long corridor, trying to remember the twists and turns she took the night before in her half-asleep state. When she finally reached the stairway, it opened up into a grand view.

She was overlooking the massive entryway, with its checkered marbled floor and a velvet red carpet leading from the mahogany double doors to the enormous stairway. The stairs were also a velvet red that seemed to blend seamlessly to the carpet framed by a handrail, silver like her eyes. At the middle of the landing was a tall, stained-glass window that lit up the foyer in a majestic glow, with stairs branching off left and right to lead to the second floors. Along the gold gilded walls were dozens of golden picture frames displaying beautiful pieces of art.

Ruby made her way down the stairs and stopped on the landing with a surprised gasp. Lining the carpet all the way to the door were dozens of maids and a handful of gentlemen in uniforms. They bowed as Ruby slowly descended the stairs, nervously glancing left and right like one of them might leap out with a sword and challenge her to a duel. Honestly, Ruby would've preferred that over awkwardly being bowed at.

"Miss Rose."

Ruby squeaked, jumping at the voice calling for her. She spun around to see a smaller woman walking towards her. The lady wore a plain purple kimono, like the ones in Blake's ninja books, and her graying hair was pulled into a low bun. Despite her older age, the lady's gray eyes bore into her with a sharp intensity.

"Good morning, Miss Rose. I am glad to see that you are awake. I trust that you are well rested?" the lady asked.

"Um…" Ruby started, but not really sure how to finish. "Yes…?"

"Hmmm." The lady replied, stopping in front of Ruby and glaring up at her. "Your voice is slightly hoarse and there are bags under your eyes. I'll make sure to inform the kitchen to prepare you some green tea to go with your breakfast to help fix that."

"Um… Thank you, Miss…?"

"Shima Maezono, Chief of Staff in the Souh household." The lady answered, giving a slight bow. "Tamaki filled me in on your plight. Myself, as well as the rest of the staff, are at your service until you return home."

Ruby curtsied to Miss Shima, though she did almost end up tripping onto her face and had to pinwheel her arms to stay upright. "Thank you. By the way, where is Tamaki?"

"Ah," Miss Shima replied, turning to gaze up the stairway. "He is probably still asleep. My goodness, that boy. Sleeping in despite having guests over. I am going to have to remind him of his housewarming manners again."

Ruby chuckled. "Do you know when he'll wake up? We're supposed to be meeting some friends today."

Before she could answer, a shout from the second floor echoed down through the main entrance, catching the attention of Ruby and the employees. She wasn't sure, but Ruby could've sworn that it was a cry about Tamaki's 'little girl' accidently serving the wrong type of tea. If that was the case, she felt a little more sympathy for Haruhi's "father-daughter relationship" trouble.

"And that would be him," Miss Shima replied, turning to one of the maids. "Please inform Master Tamaki that breakfast is ready and that he needs to eat before leaving." She turned back to Ruby, said "It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rose. Please let me know if you need anything," and walked off for some other duty.

Not even a minute later, Tamaki came flying down the stairs, looking as though he rolled out of bed and thrown some clothes on. Although, his fresh-out-of-bed looked still could've made many of the girls at Beacon Academy swoon at his feet, so well-trimmed that she was frustrated. _Why does he get to look perfect first thing in the morning while I'm always teased for looking like a nightmare?_ The world is so cruel sometimes.

"Good morning, my flower. I hope you slept well," Tamaki greeted. He quickly spoke with the staff and turned back to her. "Let's quickly eat and head out. The day won't be young forever, after all!"

X

Ruby didn't know what surprised her more: how big the limo was, or that it was so big that it could comfortably hold the entire Host Club with space to spare. The noise level in the back of the limo had risen considerably since picking up each member from their homes, each as luxurious as Tamaki's. The level of wealth these boys had scared her to the point that she was relieved when they got to Haruhi's apartment to pick her up.

"Good morning, Haruhi!" the boys echoed as she entered the car, much to the brunette's dismay. Ruby noticed that today she was dressed slightly different, wearing a pink dress with a white t-shirt underneath accompanied by a pair of jeans. _Guess she sometimes dresses like a girl, after all_ , Ruby thought.

As the conversation flowed to upcoming host events, including a debate on what the theme would be for the coming Friday, Ruby allowed her gaze to shift to the world outside her window. She watched in slight amazement as signs of city life sped by, with towering buildings and throngs of people crowding the streets. Stores advertising everything from clothing and electronics to independent businesses and eateries framed the complex roadways that stretched on for what seemed like eternity. Once again, Ruby couldn't help but marvel that this world lacked the deadly creatures that required armor and weapon shops that were so commonplace in Remnant. That students here were more concerned about the tailoring of their uniforms than the maintenance of their weaponry.

"We're here, men!" Tamaki announced, quickly exiting the vehicle with enthusiasm. The others quickly followed suit, Ruby bringing up the rear.

The shopping center was like a nest of Rapier Wasps, completely swarming with activity. It stretched high above the young reaper's head, with layer upon layer of stores and restaurants. The group followed the surge of the crowd, making their way through the large glass doors. They briefly stopped to marvel at the crazy scene around them and take in the sights and scents floating out of nearby cafes.

"It's really loud," Ruby said, almost having to shout to be heard over the cacophony.

"Well, of course it is!" Hikaru said, looking down at her.

"With so many people, it would be stranger with it wasn't noisy," Karou added.

Haruhi gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. You get used to it."

"Haruhi, look!" a voice cut in, somehow right at home with the noise level of the mall. The girls turned to look over at Tamaki, who was staring excitedly at a poster on the wall. "They're hosting a special event on the roof, with a petting zoo and everything! Awesome!"

"They even have free ice cream!" Honey noted, bouncing up and down in excitement.

Tamaki turned to the group. "We absolutely must attend! We can intermingle with the commoners so that we can have fun while also learning about their style of social interaction. Look alive, men! It's time for the Host Club to commence Operation: Active Observation!"

Ruby watched with wide eyes as the group quickly disappeared into the crowd towards the festivities, rambling on about the activities awaiting on the roof. She barely caught Hikaru's teasing about Tamaki's "original operation name" before they vanished. At first, she thought she was alone, but was surprised to see two figures still standing next to her, having chosen not to run off with the rest of the Club.

"Haruhi? Kyoya? Why are you guys here?" Ruby asked, curious. "I thought that you went with [Uncle] Tamaki and the others?"

Haruhi sighed. "Trust me, I would voluntarily choose to stay behind if it meant avoiding those damn rich people. Besides, it would just be wrong to leave you behind."

"As for me," Kyoya said, adjusting his glasses. "I have been on enough of these expeditions to understand Tamaki's typical behavior. However, I am slightly disappointed to see that he had gone off without any concerns to you, Miss Rose. It's not unusual, but not excusable as a Host. Either way, we can all take our time if need be. They will most certainly still be on the roof by the time we are ready to go."

"Alright, then…" Ruby said, uncertain about the slight chilling tone in his voice. With that, the unlikely trio started their slow journey through the mall.

As they walked, Ruby began scanning the stores. She knew that to live here for an extended period of time, she would need to get some more clothes.

"Of course, you need more clothes to wear. You can't just go about in the same outfit all of the time. This isn't some kind of anime!" Tamaki had exclaimed on the ride over. Thus, prompting the girl's search for new items to add to her wardrobe.

Along with searching for more clothes, the two Hosts did their best to give the Huntress-in-training a quick crash course in the history of their world. Unlike Remnant, with its four kingdoms, Ruby learned that this world had several continents split into hundreds of countries. The one that they currently reside in was called Japan, with an extremely rich history that the two described to her.

Haruhi was explaining the timeline of something called the Shogunate when Ruby spied a shop that almost beckoned her.

"Hey, Haruhi? Kyoya? Can we go in there?" Ruby asked, pointing to the shop just a little ahead. They didn't seem to object once they spotted it, recognizing that the gothic Lolita outfits on display fit the reaper's style perfectly.

The three stepped into the shop, which was appropriately called Crimson Fall. A young employee immediately moved over to assist, and promptly helped Ruby select some new outfits.

When Ruby asked about how to pay for the clothes, Kyoya held a hand up. "Don't worry. I'm sure to have Tamaki reimburse us for these." The cold, confidence in his voice slightly chilled the two girls.

New clothes in tow, the three continued their journey towards the mall's roof. The conversation had picked back up, only to be cut short once more one floor later.

"Oh my Oum, look at this! It's a Wakizashi," Ruby exclaimed, her face pressed against the window of a cosplay shop to closer examine the weapon. "They're usually confused with a regular katana, but they're actually slightly smaller to allow for more speed while still delivering the same force."

Haruhi and Kyoya stared as the young reaper continued to gush over the weapons on display, identifying several with extreme accuracy. "That one is a Naginata, which allows for increased reach in place of speed. I've seen some Hunters yielding a modified version of this, using large sweeping motions in order to take out hordes of Grimm."

"Wow, Ruby. You sure know a lot about weapons," Haruhi commented, noting the girl's excitement.

"Yeah. In Remnant, a person's weapon is an extension of oneself. Each one is custom made to fit one's personality and particular fighting style. So, it's important to understand a weapon before choosing it. Also, I'm a bit of a nut myself when it comes to weapons." Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and cradled it lovingly in her arms.

"Like your teammates and their weapons?" Kyoya asked, recalling her brief description of Team RWBY during her conversation from the previous day.

Ruby slowly nodded, slipping her weapon back onto her hip. "Yeah. Like my teammates." The echoing of his words held a tone tinted with sad longing, reminding the two that she was just a kid who was thrown away from her own reality.

Kyoya cleared his throat, pulling Ruby out of her reverie. "Well, in our world, weapons such as these hold a more historic and symbolic recognition. Especially in Japan, with the legends of samurai and myths of demons called yokai."

This caught the reaper's attention, and the two began talking about different legends and famous battles. As they continued to walk through the mall, Ruby was so busy talking to Kyoya that she missed Haruhi's contemplative look at the cooler senior, noting how, once again, he abandoned his cool nature and helped another person without any personal gain.

Finally, they had arrived on the roof and, like Kyoya promised, the distinguishable Host Club was still there. She could see Honey riding around on one of the animals in the petting zoo, with Mori following closely behind in case he fell. The twins were spotted arguing with a man running some sort of dart throwing game, pointing repeatedly at one of the giant stuffed animals hanging above them. Why they insisted on one more while they had five others lying about them was beyond her.

"Haruhi! Kyoya! Ruby!"

The three turned to see Tamaki running up towards them, but froze that the sight. Tamaki was still dressed normally, but his face had been painted in the style of a tiger and the tips of his hair dyed a matching orange.

"Apparently, commoners enjoy decorating their faces in the style of exotic creatures that they're too poor to enjoy in their own luxury. Check this out! I'm a tiger! Rawr!" He even held in hands up in make pretend claws, pawing at the air.

Ruby couldn't help it. She burst into laughter, hitting the ground while clinging to her stomach. Haruhi was snickering as well, obviously thrown off by her senior's appearance. Typical Kyoya stayed passive, though one could see a slight shaking of the head in exasperation.

Soon, one by one, the other members joined the little group, each overlapping the others with their experience on their little operation. They promptly exited the mall, with much prodding by Kyoya, and returned to the limo. Tamaki only pouted for half an hour when Kyoya strictly told him to remove the face makeup. They spent the next few hours driving around town, giving Ruby the grand tour before stopping at another mall with an outdoor amusement park. They rode the Ferris Wheel as the sun slowly began to set along the horizon, bathing the world in a fiery glow.

Before they returned to the limo, Ruby grabbed their attention. "Thank you, guys. I had a lot of fun today."

"No problem at all," Tamaki said, brushing her thanks aside. "You're a member of the Host Club now. That means that we all get to have fun together. As a _family_."

This didn't fail to grab a few groans from one person in particular.

One by one, the Hosts were dropped back off, until all that remained were the blond and the reaper. Having returned to the house, they split their separate ways, bidding each other good night.

Arriving in the large guest room, Ruby hung her new clothes and got ready for bed. However, it was hours before she could finally fall asleep, spending the time staring at the screen of her scroll. She slowly scrolled through her contacts and saved photos, thinking of her friends, of Beacon, of home.

As she drifted away, she thought to herself: _I wonder if everything's okay back at home?_

X

 **And that's a wrap! Thank you to all who have favorited and followed the story so far, and I would like to give a shout out to foxchick1, UltimateAvengers, and butterfly moon1.0 for their comments on the last chapter. See you next time! :)**


	5. Chapter 4: A New School

**Chapter 4: A New School**

"Alright, Ruby. Today's the big day!"

"Umm… Uncle Tamaki…?"

"Your first day at the prestigious Ouran Academy!" Tamaki announced, ignoring the reaper's distress. The two sat in the back of the limo once more, driving through the streets in style. But, of course, they were heading to _the_ Ouran Academy, where only those with excellent social standing or from filthy rich families can attend. So a lot of the students have luxurious modes of transportation as well.

 _Great. Now I'm thinking like Tamaki. Haruhi warned me about this happening._

After the chaotic adventure around town on Saturday, Sunday was a day of relaxation and lounging about, the two teens spending the day relaxing in the manor and finalizing her transfer into the Academy. Paperwork had to filled out and measurements taken for school uniforms. By the time everything had been 'polished to perfection', as Tamaki so eloquently phrased it, Ruby was all for lying around and being lazy.

Though, the busy work did do one thing: keep her mind off of home. She ended up turning to Tamaki for entertainment to keep the concern from rising up and swallowing her whole. So, she instead occupied herself with playing games with the blond. They even ended up playing tag, disrupting the house staff as they ran about. Of course, with her enhanced speed, Ruby gave Tamaki all sorts of trouble, much to the blond's dismay. She had been in stitches at one point because she sped off so suddenly that he ended up tripping into one of the manor's pools.

Now, Ruby was slowly on her way for her first day of school. She was uncomfortable, in more ways than one.

"Uncle Tamaki…"

"Now, you have a busy schedule, but do not forget your duties. You are a member of the Host Club! Therefore, you must bring out the qualities of a good Host," Tamaki said, continuing to pay her no mind. She fidgeted in her seat as he went onto a lengthy monologue, until finally something broke.

"Tamaki!"

The boy paused, turning his attention slowly towards the silver-eyed girl as if he was just realizing she was there with him. "Yes?"

"I'm fine with classes and the club and everything. Just explain why I have to wear this?!"

Tamaki smiled. "Why, it's the official school uniform. Everyone on campus wears one to show their financial and social stability. Only a poor commoner could never afford the luxury, so once again, you are welcome."

 _Add another sympathy point to Haruhi_ , Ruby thought as they slowly passed through the open gate and into the campus.

Now that Ruby was here during school hours instead of after hours on a Friday, she could see just how lively the school really was. The decorative walkways and gardens were swarming with people, fellow students cladded in matching school uniforms. It was strange to see other kids her age at an Academy that didn't focus on teaching them to become the saviors of their world. She better start getting used to this, then.

"…we have lunch at 12 o'clock sharp, so make sure to come to the cafeteria and find us. Don't worry about getting lost, just follow the others. Club opens at 3 o'clock, so please arrive half an hour early to help with set up."

Ruby snapped back to attention, catching the last bit of Tamaki's speech. The door opened, and Tamaki exited, glancing back in at her one more time. "For now, head to the front office and someone will show you to your homeroom. Until later, my flower."

The reaper poked her head out of the car to watch him walk away, aware of how he said hello to others as he made his way to the front entrance. She even noticed some of the girls ogling at him as he passed by, his gait demonstrating that he was aware of their affection.

"Miss Rose."

Ruby turned her head up to see the driver extending one gloved hand toward her, the other still on the open car door.

"Thanks," she mumbled, accepting the hand and exiting the limo. As the limo peeled away from the curb, Ruby glanced down at the atrocity that she was being forced to wear. She was in a girly dress, with a white collar, puffy sleeves and a petticoat to give it some flounce. It was even accompanied by white stockings and a loosely-bowed tie and flats both dyed red for a splash of color. No, the dress wasn't too much of a problem, though the collar was a bit snug. It was that the entire thing was _yellow_. Yellow! It was like she was a walking bell pepper.

"They wouldn't even let me have my hoodie," Ruby grumbled, shouldering her pack and walking towards the large pink building.

The air was filled with idle chatter carried from nearby students by a light breeze. Pink rose petals swirled in the air in a beautiful waltz, accompanying the deadly Rose as she entered the main building.

It didn't take Ruby very long to locate the office Tamaki told her about. A lovely secretary helped Ruby get her schedule together and walk her to her homeroom, which would be her main classroom at Ouran Academy, the lady had explained. Once they had arrived the lady stepped in to speak to the teacher, asking Ruby to wait in the hallway for the time being. She could hear the hushed whispers from inside the classroom, and the scratching of pencils and squeaking of chalkboards drifting through the hall from other rooms.

The noises were drowned out by large clock tower outside the crystal-glass windows, slicing the air as it chimed the hour. Silver eyes turned to watch the silent world outside the window, going back just a few days ago when the chiming of the tower had announced her arrival. _Strange how some things circle back around_.

"Miss Rose?" the secretary asked, stepping out into the hall. "You are allowed to enter."

"Thank you," Ruby replied, giving her a nod. As the last toll resonated through the air, Ruby entered the classroom.

She tried to avoid the dozens of pairs of eyes watching her as she entered the room, or the mummers as she approached the chalkboard. Tamaki told her that, when entering a new school, she must write her name on the board for others to see and give a proper introduction to her new classmates.

Carefully scrawling her name on the board, she finished and turned to finally face her new classmates.

"Hello, my name is Ruby Rose. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said in her most polite tone of voice, bowing slightly. Straightening, she scanned the faces watching her with mild curiosity. She knew what they were looking at: the red-tipped hair, the silver eyes, even the tiniest of scars from her training over the years. She became increasingly more uncomfortable standing there as though she was being stared down by a pack of hungry Grimm, butterflies in her stomach and sweat forming on her palms.

A snicker drew her attention to the back of the class, and she let out a sigh of relief. _Looks like I won't be all alone_ , she thought at the familiar faces. Haruhi, Hikaru, and Karou watched her with amusement, though the glint in the boys' eyes made her think that she was now going to become a bigger target of interest for the twins now that she shared a class with them.

Following the teacher's instructions, Ruby found a seat in the third row, and the lessons resumed. The next hour sped by, with only the teacher's monotone voice to accompany her. She tried to keep up appearances for the other students, but ended up making childish doodles of the professor instead. When the bell rang, many of the students began to mill about the classroom to talk with their friends. This also meant that many of the students migrated to the most interesting item in the room: Ruby.

"So, where are you from, Ruby?" one boy with brown hair asked.

"I love your eyes," a girl with a white bow commented.

"What made you choose to come to Ouran Academy?" two girls with matching glasses questioned.

Ruby was once again perplexed with all of the questions being throw her way, not really knowing where to begin. She wasn't comfortable with anyone outside of the Host Club finding out about her predicament, and she did spend a little time the day before preparing a cover story with Tamaki.

"It's almost like you're a secret agent," he had exclaimed excitedly at the idea.

"Um…" Ruby started, not sure which question to answer first.

"Are you ever planning on going to the Host Club?" one of the girls in the group asked, the other ladies leaning in for her answer.

"Actually –"

"Miss Rose is a special member of the Host Club," a voice answered for her.

The group looked up to see Hikaru, Karou, and Haruhi making their way over, parting around them like the sea. The twins draped over her again, obviously making fun of her height with the playful gesture. "She's actually a friend of Tamaki here for an extended visit, so she's going to be working with the club for the meantime," Karou finished explaining.

This pleased the students around her, the group exploding into excitement and telling about some of the fun activities on campus. Soon, the bell rang once more, sending kids skittering back to their chairs for the next session. Before leaving, the trio gave her a look that indicated that they would talk once lunch rolled around.

Another dull hour later, and the halls filled with students in pursuit of food. Ruby rushed over to join Haurhi and the twins on their way to the cafeteria, spending the journey talking about their weekend and joking about the lecture.

"Man, I thought we goof off in class, but you really take the cake, Ruby," Hikaru commented as they rounded a corner. Ruby looked at him in confusion.

"It's important to pay attention to everything that happens in class," Karou said.

"Especially because you never know who's going to catch you," Hikaru finished, holding up her doodles of the teacher with a sly smile. Ruby's eyes widened at the evidence of her immaturity dangling in front of her, caught red-handed.

"Hey, give it back!" she shouted, chasing the twins down the stairs and the rest of the way to the lunchroom, their laughter blending into the air. She caught up with them inside the dining hall, snagging her paper back while the boys teased her about her drawing skills.

"I know Yamazaki-sensei has a mustache, but he doesn't have a full-grown caterpillar on his lip," one of the twins had teased, with the girl sticking her tongue out in response.

"You know, Ruby," Haruhi said, finally having caught up to the three. "If you ever need help understanding what we're going over in class, I can help you. I may not be as rich as some of these guys (throwing a pointed look at the twins), but you don't need material wealth to do well academically."

"Thank you," Ruby said, appreciating the offered help. With that, the four walked over to join the rest of the Host Club for lunch. They spoke about their classwork and any interesting things that happened since last they saw each other. Somehow, Hikaru got his hands on her drawings again, and was flashing it to the rest of the table. Ruby couldn't help but laugh along with everyone, enjoying her time with her new friends.

Too soon, the bell began to chime once more, motioning for everyone to retreat back for their afternoon sessions. With plans to meet in the Music Room, the Club split their separate ways.

X

As the big clock tower outside the window began to chime the third hour, the doors to Music Room #3 open with blinding white light and a flurry of rose petals.

"Welcome," a chorus of voices call, signaling the beginning of another day at the Ouran Highschool Host Club.

Ruby watched the room come alive with activity from a table by the window, nibbling on cookies as her silver-eyes wandered in interest. She noticed that each host has their own special 'style' when interacting with the ladies. Tamaki was a very 'prince-like' character, commanding and endearing his group with sweet words and charming smiles. He lit up the room with his charm and made almost every girl around him swoon. The twins were together, a package deal, telling fun stories and playing games. Though, she did notice the two of them getting overly affectionate with one another every now and then, causing her face to burn and sending her searching for another point of interest. Mori and Honey were, much like the twins, always together, the shorter blond's liveliness balanced by the taller male's stolid nature. Then there was Haruhi, who seemed to just act naturally around the other girls, not making any effort to overexaggerate a characteristic for the sake of impression.

"It seems that you're keeping a close eye on our Hosts," a voice stated so suddenly that Ruby slightly leapt out of her seat.

"Geez, Kyoya. Don't sneak up on people like that. It makes you really creepy," Ruby said, once again aware of the nickname that Haruhi gave him: The Shadow King.

Chuckling, Kyoya resumed to writing notes down on a clipboard. "As you have probably guessed, each of our Hosts cater to a wide array of individuals, depending on their particular style. While we have several drop-ins, we also have some regulars that primarily stick to one Host. Everyone has some role here."

"What about you? What's your 'role'?"

"While I may entertain a lady every now and then, I am mainly in charge of all of the Club's activities, including planning, events, marketing, and financing," he stated matter-of-factly, glancing at her through his glasses.

"What about me? What is my role going to be? I don't believe I'm Host material," Ruby asked, watching Tamaki whisper something into a girl's ear that made her visibly steam from her ears and her face turn tomato red.

"I am quite aware of that. Despite the fact that you lack the mannerism that befits a Host, we certainly wouldn't want any more gentlemen in the club room," Kyoya said, earning a shout of exasperation from the Huntress-in-training. "This is a safe haven for young ladies to be entertained, so I rather believe that they would not enjoy the addition of male guests. Unless, of course, such a male guest were to request a Host, to which I would make an exception."

Ruby wondered if he phrased it in such a manner as if to hint that such an event had occurred before. "Nonetheless, you will be acting as the club's manager. Our current self-appointed manager, Miss Renge Houshakuji, has returned to her home country of France for an extended period of stay for the moment being, so you can take her place for now."

Before she could ask what that means, she heard someone shout her name from across the club room. The two turned to see Tamaki watching them in intense eyes, gesturing for the reaper to come over. Excusing herself, she stuffed a couple more cookies in her mouth and made her way over.

"Ah, there she is! Our special flower," Tamaki announced when she arrived, smiling up at her. "Ladies, may I introduce Miss Ruby Rose, a friend of mine staying with me as a special guest. She will be working with the Host Club until she returns home, so please make her feel at home."

Ruby quickly swallowed a mouthful of cookie and furiously wiped the crumbs from her mouth. "Hello," she said, trying to smooth out the hideous yellow fabric of her skirt.

She spent the next several minutes answering questions thrown her direction, once again reverting to the cover story the two had worked up the day before. One of the questions asked was if her wore contacts.

"What are contacts?" she asked.

The girls stared at her in disbelief. "Wait, so your eyes are naturally silver?"

"Yeah. My mother had silver eyes, so I got them from her," Ruby said, a slight tug at the corner of her mouth at the memory.

"Man, I wish I could have my eyes as such a pretty shade," one girl said, touching her face with a frown.

'Prince' Tamaki was quickly to the rescue. "Why, my dear. There is no need for such a comment. Your eyes are such a lovely shade of coffee that I wish to gaze upon them and drink them up." This caused the girls to blush and melt at the flattery.

For the rest of the afternoon, Ruby made her way to each group, watching in on the Hosts and even spending some time talking with the girls. As the afternoon drew to a close and the girls exited for the day, Ruby flopped back onto a couch in exhaustion.

"Man, that was _tiring_. And you do that _every day_?" the reaper whined, watching the Hosts cleanup for the day.

"That's right! It's a lot of fun!" Honey exclaimed, bounding over to the girl. "Didn't you have fun?"

"I mean, I did. It just, I'm not used to so much talking," she quickly backpedaled, scratching at her collar in frustration. "Also, this dress doesn't help. Like, seriously. How can the girls stand this?"

"It is the customary uniform for all Ouran Academy students," Kyoya blatantly said, glancing over at her. "However, if you are unsatisfied with it, we do have an alternative uniform for you to wear."

Ruby looked over at him, her interest peaked. "What do you mean?"

"Tamaki brought up with me earlier today about your disdain for the issued uniform. I would have let it completely slide if not for the comment that if such a creature as that Grimm were to ever attack our campus again, I rather not have our safety be compromised by something as simple as a dress. So, I spoke with the Hitachiin twins, whose mother happens to be a famous fashion designer, to help with a simple change in wardrobe."

The twins walked over, carrying a mannequin between the two of them. When they set it down in front of her, Ruby couldn't believe her eyes. In excitement, she grabbed the clothes and rushed into an adjacent room, her Semblance kicking in and leaving rose petals in her wake. A few minutes later, she stepped out in her uniform, the horrid yellow dress now a distant nightmare.

The new uniform seemed to be a blend of the typical Ouran uniform and her own style. The top was composed of the blue blazer bearing the Ouran Academy insignia, with a long sleeve white-collar blouse and a black tie with a stripe of red. The bottom was a skirt much like her combat uniform, but with a blue petticoat peeking out to match the blazer. Black thigh-high tights lead down her slender legs and disappeared into black-and-blue-accented combat boots. Finally, a placeholder red cloak was pinned to her lapel to later be replaced with her signature hood.

"I love it!" Ruby squealed, bouncing and running around in her new outfit. Despite its fanciness, it was still breathable and easy to move around in, which wouldn't leave to any restricting when she was wielding Crescent Rose. The fabric was also soft, yet durable, making comfortable to wear. All it needed was a belt to attach her scythe to, and it would be perfect.

"Well, obviously," Karou said, joining the small crowd gathering to look at Ruby's new outfit. "Our mother is genius with fabric, so it was no problem for her at all. It's been waiting her since after lunch for you."

This caused Ruby to pause and look at the twins. "Wait. It this was here since lunch, then why wasn't I told until just now?"

The twins only looked at one another and shrugged. "Guess we completely forgot about it. Though, you did look pretty funny squirming around in your seat all day."

"Why, you…!" Ruby started, dashing after the twins to seek revenge on being tricked. Everyone else stood by and watched, laughing at how well Ruby was getting along with everyone in the club. Soon, the bell tower will begin to ring once more, sending the Hosts back to their homes to rest and prepare to return for another day of school. Another day of the Host Club.

Another ordinary day in Ruby's new world.

X

 **And that's a wrap! I know that this chapter is a week overdue, but it's kinda hard to type a chapter when your computer stops working for almost a week. So, thank you all for patiently waiting for the new update. Also, thank you to all who have favorited and followed the story so far, and I would like to give a shout out to SuperSonic2018 and butterfly moon1.0 for their comments on the last chapter. See you next time! :)**


	6. Chapter 5: A New Development

**Chapter 5: A New Development**

The bell tower chimed the 3 o'clock hour, signaling the start of another day for the Host Club.

However, this was no ordinary day for the club. No, today was a special theme day, with all of the Hosts deciding to dress up as Greek gods.

Music Room #3 was specially decorated for the occasion, with marble columns lining the walls and gold streamers shooting across the ceiling like bolts of celestial light. All of the hosts wore togas, some being more revealing than others much to the ladies' delight, and themed around many of the immortal entities.

It was no surprise that the King of the Host Club would dress up as the King of the gods. Tamaki, with his blond locks encircled by a golden laurel wreath, sat on a couch decorated with lightning bolts – the symbol of the King. A golden goblet, Ruby had no doubt was real, sat on the table next to a platter of grapes and apples, adding to the atmosphere.

"My lady, would you do me the honors of becoming my Hera?" he asked, charming one of the girls in his never-shrinking group. "To rule Olympus with you by my side would be my absolute pleasure." This extracted more squeals of delights, the ladies dying from the role playing.

 _Tamaki is_ way _to good at this_ , Ruby thought, turning her attention to another group in the room.

The twins were, surprisingly, not dressed up as twins. While Karou was donning the persona of Apollo, lyre in hand, Hikaru was dressed up as the God of Mischief, Hermes. The hour before the doors opened, Haruhi gave Ruby a quick run-down of the Greek gods and their roles in ancient civilization. Two of the gods she mentioned were Apollo and Artemis, who were in fact twins. Ruby was sure that the boys would dress as the only twin gods that exists, but only half of the duo is out on display.

 _Maybe they didn't want a female Goddess in a room of men entertaining girls_ , was Ruby's initial thought on the matters. However, watching the two for a little while gave her another reason why they decided to skip over the Goddess of Wisdom.

"Shall I write a poem to express the beauty of my lady?" Karou charmed, plucking his lyre to emphasize his point. Many of the girls began blushing but Hikaru didn't seem amused.

"Cousin, you shall write abut their beauty even though we are together?" Hikaru asked, tapping his caduceus on the ground. "I know we must keep it a secret from your sister, who would never approve of such a being as myself being with you."

Karou grabbed his brother's chin, tilting his head up so their eyes so lock. "I do not care if my sister finds out. I would sing your excellence from the top of Mount Olympus for all to listen, so others could hear of my love for you."

"Agggghhhh! Forbidden godly love!" the girls squealed, melting into their seats. _Now it all makes sense_.

"Ruby, which God are you dressed up as?" one of the girls asked, pulling her attention back to her table.

Tamaki suggested that Ruby sit with his 'daughter', who was currently sporting the persona of Poseidon, with a flowy toga that hid her features. Ruby looked down at her costume, because of course she had to participate since she was a member of the Host Club, too. A white toga flowed all the way to her ankles, with a shimmery shrug crossing over one shoulder. She even wore a crown of rainbow feathers and a pair of elegant wings that seemed to shimmer different colors in the afternoon light.

"I'm Iris, the Goddess of Rainbows and Messenger of the Gods," Ruby said, reciting the description of the goddess that Haruhi gave her earlier. She had to feel that Tamaki had a twisted sort of humor to make the fastest girl in the room the Messenger.

She also felt bad dropping in on Haruhi and her guests, but the group didn't seem to mind, spending their time talking about different mythology stories that really interested Ruby. One of the girls was starting to explain the myth of the Minotaur when two new members joined their table.

"Haruhi-san! Ruby-chan!" Honey called out, waving at them from his perch on Mori's shoulders. Mori was appropriately dressed as Ares, spear in hand. On the other hand, Honey was acting as Hephaestus, with a small hammer in his head that the ladies found super cute. "Look at what I made!"

In his hand was a piece of sheet metal with puncture holes from a nail and hammer in it to make a shape. Ruby remembered this craft when she was younger, mentally giggling at the memory of her dad freaking out over Uncle Qrow letting her handle such dangerous tool at only five years old. The piece of metal Honey held out to them showed off a punctured portrait of his bunny, Usa-chan.

"That's really good, Honey-senpai," Haruhi commented, the other girls nodding in agreement.

Ruby smiled to the smaller teen. "That looks like fun. Can I try?"

"Sure!" Honey exclaimed, bounding back over to his table. Ruby excused herself, saying goodbye and allowing Haruhi to thoroughly entertain her guests now. For the next half an hour, Ruby occupied herself with making puncture art on a slightly larger piece of sheet metal and listening to Mori and Honey. Well, mainly Honey. Mori was a man of few words. Just like another quiet individual she knows back at home.

Huh. Now that she thought about it, the members of the Host Club did seem to be a lot like her teammates and friends back home. Mori and Honey were very much like Ren and Nora, with the latter two's energetic personalities equally balanced out with the formers' calmness. Kyoya was way too much like Weiss; she had picked that up since the first moment she interacted with the Host Club. The twins were kind of like her other teammates. With Hikaru's explosive and mischievous tendencies placed with his twin's more analytical side, they really do seem a lot like Yang and Blake.

Then, that would leave Tamaki and Haruhi as the pair, Arkos. Haruhi has a more relaxed personality, like Pyrrha, that equally draw both the eccentric and cautious members of the club to her. Meanwhile, Tamaki has a manner that sometimes parallels the loveable goofball, Jaune, but can be serious when necessary. Though, Ruby would swap the relationship goals of the two individuals around.

She was just putting the last touches on her work when a hand laid on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Tamaki staring down at her with a soft smile.

"Ruby. You know that the club is closing for the day, right?" Tamaki asked.

Ruby looked around and was surprised to see that he was right; girls were beginning to file out of the room and the Hosts were saying their last farewells. Once the doors closed, a sigh of relief swept through the room, motioning the end of a busy week.

It had been busy for Ruby. From new classes to Host Club duties, the young reaper has had her hands full. It was keeping her occupied, thankfully, so she never had time to slow down and really miss home.

"Man, you must've been really focused on your project if you didn't realize that the Club was closing," Tamaki joked, glancing over her shoulder. "What are you working on, anyway?"

"Oh, this," Ruby said, handing Tamaki her mini project. The sheet metal was slightly bigger than the one Honey used, and punctured into it was her Huntress symbol. She spent a lot of time trying to get it just right, incase she ever feels like spray painting it and attaching it somewhere on Crescent Rose.

"Wow, Ruby-chan! That's so cool!" Honey said, walking over to join her and Tamaki. Mori nodded in agreement. "Can you teach me to do that?"

"Sure, Honey. But maybe another time? I kinda want to go home and get some sleep. It's been a busy week."

Haruhi joined their small cluster, already changed back into her school uniform. "Well, then. Why don't we walk home together? I could use the company."

"But what about me -"

"No way in hell, senpai," the brunette stated, cutting off Tamaki's cries. As they continued bickering, Ruby dashed over to the changing room to get back into her uniform and, more importantly, her hood.

"Ruby," Kyoya called out from across the room. He was still wearing is Hades costume, which was way too ironic considering the club's nickname for him: The Shadow King. "Make sure to hang the outfit back up in one piece. We were borrowing it from a Broadway company and would rather avoid the extra expenses of dry cleaning."

"Ok," she responded, quickly going in to change. By the time she was back in her 'normal' clothes and the outfit hung back up per Kyoya's instructions, Haruhi and Tamaki were just ending a lengthy argument on the boundaries of their 'father-daughter' relationship.

"Ready when you are," Ruby announced, gathering her things and heading to the door. "I'll see you back at home, Uncle Tamaki."

With that, the club door clicked shut, signaling the end of another day at the notorious Host Club.

X

The two girls slowly wound their way through town, not really in a rush to get home. They simply spent their time enjoying the nice weather and each other's company. Ruby spotted a noodle shop and suggested that they stop in to try it out. It turned out to be an excellent find, and the two girls walked out content after having split a bowl together.

"What is that?" Ruby asked a little while later, pointing at another shop with a large neon sign.

"It looks like a karaoke bar," Haurhi replied. "Groups of people like to go in and rent out a booth to sing karaoke sings in. It's just a small party with your best friends."

Ruby's eyes widened, sparkling in excitement. "I want to try it. Can we try it?"

Haruhi laughed, shaking her head. "Sorry, Ruby, but not right now. It's usually opened during the night, and it's only 6 pm."

Pouting, Ruby continued walking, stating that they should come one night with the Host Club to have fun.

They had turned down another street and were crossing by a what appeared to be another high school, though not as grand as Ouran Academy. It looked a little run down and the gate wringing the perimeter seemed more like prison bars to keep students in than keep non-students out. A worn sign that had obviously seen better days gave the school its rather contradictory name – Paradise High.

Rounding the corner, they were surprised to find a boy a little younger than Ruby pacing about, worry etched into his youthful face. Spotting the two girls, he broke into a run to meet up with them, panting from the effort.

"Hi. Sorry to bother you, but I was hoping you could help me with something," the boy asked. "My brother goes to this high school and he forgot something for his club. He asked if I could bring it to him, but I don't know where to go."

Ruby spied what looked like art supplies in the bag by his feet and a crude note telling him to take it to some clubroom on campus. "Well," Haruhi started, looking at the boy with mild interest. "why don't you go in and ask one of the students?"

"I'm too scared to walk onto that campus by myself, and my brother won't come out to get it from me. I was hoping maybe one of the students would come out, but so far no one has. You guys are the only ones I've seen since I got here 30 minutes ago." The boy looked almost on the verge of tears, a plead evident in his voice. "Could you at least walk with me on campus while I look for it? I understand if you don't though. I can always wait for someone else."

Surprised, Haruhi stepped forward and gave him an easy-going smile, just like the one that gave her the Natural title in the Host Club. "We can walk with you. Afterall, 'it's what a Host should do.'"

Lips curving up at the mocking tone as she quoted Tamaki, they joined the boy in his journey to find his older brother. He led them through the main gate and decided to go behind the main building. "The clubs are behind there," he commented as they made their way across campus and behind the building.

It was dark behind the school building, the massive size of the structure blocking out the setting sun. Though, Ruby was confused. There were no clubrooms to be found, or any sort of building as a matter of fact. All there was was a small space blocked in by the same prison-like gate.

"Hey, kid. Are you sure your brother told you to go here?" Ruby asked, looking over at the boy.

"I'm sure," he replied, his head lowered and his voice taking on a strange tone. Almost like regret. _Oh no…_

"Well, well, well," a grating voice called from just ahead of them, and a figure melted out from the shadows behind the school. Dark hair with frosted tips framed a cruel face fashionably decorated with a butterfly across the temple. The figure wore what appeared to be a male school uniform, but its state wasn't nearly as good as those from Ouran Academy.

 _So, he's a high school student_ , Ruby gauged, sizing up her new opponent. _He looks to be around the same age as Tamaki_. A noise from behind her alerted her that more people had emerged, wearing the same uniform as the alpha. Some of them even carried crude-looking weapons like baseball bats and broken pipes. The reaper tsked, realizing that they were completely surrounded.

The teen chuckled as he eyed the two girls up. "Two members of Ouran Academy, gracing us with their presence. This is quite the catch we got, men. Nice job, rookie." The teen clapped a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder, the latter visibly jumping from the force. _Now his acting makes sense, as well as his regretful tone._ Ruby couldn't help but get riled up from the act, which reminded her of when her fellow team leader was being bullied by Cardin and his team.

"Alright you two," the teen said, pointing at them. "You're going to leave everything of value right where you stand. That includes wallets, phones, and other material possessions. Then, the nice gentleman here will turn around and walk away while the girl stays behind for an extra lesson."

Silver eyes widened at the comment. _They don't know Haruhi's a girl_. Ruby turned to look at Haruhi, who was doing a great job at keeping her poker face on and hands tucked in her pockets, though they were slightly fidgeting.

"I don't know, boss," one of men in the back said. "She looks a little young, don't you think?"

"It's fine," he waved off. "Afterall, she is wearing an Ouran Academy uniform, even if it's different. That means fair game."

A wave of disgust rolled over the Huntress-in-training, making her wish that she had Crescent Rose on her to teach _them_ a lesson.

"I don't think so," Haruhi exclaimed, putting on a brave face. "What's actually going to happen is you're going to let us go on our way and not follow us, thus ending this charade."

Ruby stared at Haruhi, in awe of her bold statement. The others, however, seemed to find the comment rather funny and were laughing. The main teen wiped away a fake tear. "Man, that was about the funniest thing I've heard all day, and that nearly beat my guidance counselor telling me I should look into the army as a career choice." His tone took a serious tone. "How do you possibly you're going to walk out of this?"

Ruby smiled, taking the lead. "Just like that. By walking. It's easy to avoid blunt objects in unfamiliar hands, so this would be a walk in the park."

"Well, then. I guess we'll have to do thing the more interesting way," the teen snickered, pulling out a gun and aiming it at the girls' heads. Ruby's silver eyes widened as she stared at the weapon in horror. Not that she wasn't used to weapons in her face, she was a Huntress-in-training after all. What caught her attention was that the weapon itself was not an ordinary gun.

It was a weapon from Remnant.

"Where did you get that?" Ruby inquired.

"Why, we're considered members of a special group of individuals taking a stand and trying to make a difference in our world," the teen said, mistaking her surprise as fear. "This right here is just a token of thanks for our efforts so far, sponsored by a very generous man."

"Torchwick," Ruby cursed under her breath. Speaking up, she asked, "Did this man have orange hair and a fancy-looking hat?"

The teen cocked his head. "Don't know anyone with those features. We got these from a guy who called himself the Lieutenant. Black hair, scar over his nose," he explained, waving the gun nonchalantly as though it were nothing more than a toy.

 _Great, just what I needed_. She thought back to the crates in the room where she thought Roman and the number of them she found during her first day. Not all of the crates from the room had landed by her in the forest, so they must've fallen by wherever Torchwick had landed. _While I've been having fun with the Host Club, he's been building up his ranks again. And it must've gotten quite big if he already has a lieutenant doing his bidding._

"They must really be hurting for members if they're willing to give someone like you a gun," Ruby said, cocking her head in amusement. "I bet if I were to go find this 'Lieutenant,' he would take it straight out of your hands and into mine."

The teen cursed, refocusing his aim on the reaper, his finger brushing along the trigger. "Shut your god damn mouth. You have no idea who you're messing with, girl."

Silver eyes dimmed into a calculating gray. "No. _You_ have no idea who you're messing with." She turned to Haruhi and said in a low voice, "I have this. Once it starts, grab the boy and run for cover." If anything, she wanted to get those two out of the eventual crossfire.

With that, she tapped into her Semblance and exploded forward, for her best weapon without her scythe was her speed and the element of surprise.

Yelps of surprise and grunts of pain could be heard as the gang quickly went down, one by one. Their weapons were wrenched out of their hands from a red and blue whirlwind, landing on their backs hard from the momentum. Seconds later, everyone was on the ground and too winded to get back up, showered in red rose petals. In the epicenter of it all, Ruby stood over a tiny mountain of collected weapons.

The only one who had avoided going down was the teen with the gun, who was wildly shaking it at her. "What the hell just happened? Who the hell are you?" In his fear, his finger pressed down on the trigger, launching a dust shell that exploded in a fiery inferno when it hit Ruby.

"That will teach you," he spat, watching the fire in triumph. Which quickly turned to horror when she sped out and slammed into him, rocketing him into the ground and sending the weapon flying off.

"Monster," he said, voice quaking in fear.

"Wrong," Ruby smiled. "I'm a Huntress."

"HHHAAAARRRRUUUUHHHIII! RRRRUUUUBBBBBYYYYY!"

She whirled around to see the Host Club rushing over to help them, many of the boys pinning down the groaning figures on the ground. Tamaki ran towards her and jumped, sending a flying kick into the face of the alpha teen who had tried to get up.

"Are you alright?" he asked in complete panic.

Ruby nodded, taking his hand to stand back up. Kyoya stood just a distance away, directing police arriving on the scene to take away the gang members. Two officers practically peel the twins off of two of the thugs.

Remembering, Ruby walked over to where the gun had skidded off and picked it up, tucking it into her hood. Better not have the police finding out about this, she concluded, returning to where the Club was congregating.

"What happened to the kid?" Ruby asked Haruhi.

"Police took in for questioning. He should get off easy though, since he was being pressured to lure in victims."

Ruby was glad to hear that at least he would be okay, watching as the teens were carted away.

"Honestly, you two. You should be glad my name has some weight behind it," Kyoya said, adjusting his glasses. "If Haruhi had messaged us any later, I don't know if I could've assembled such a makeshift task force."

It dawned on the Huntress-in-training. _That's what Haruhi was doing earlier_ , she realized, remembering the slight fidgeting of the older girl. Despite how annoyed by the Club Haruhi says she is, she still trusts them enough to ask them for help.

"So, what exactly was going on?" Tamaki asked. "And what did you hide in your hood?"

"Ah, you saw that, huh?" Ruby asked, surprised by the blond's vigilance. "The guy in charge had this and threatened us with it. It may not seem like much, but it actually a gun from Remnant."

This caught everyone's attention. She recounted the interactions with the teen and what he said about where the gun came from. She even told them about her theory that Roman was on the move and that he was using the items from the other crates to build a secret underground crime organization.

"I'll alert the police to be more vigilance and to keep an eye open to anything concerning Torchwick. Anything about them will go straight to me," Kyoya said.

"Excellent, Kyoya," Tamaki commended. "We only before had Ruby's account of the dangers of this man. Now, we have seen proof of this criminal's reach. If he allowed to continue to run free, he could cause more harm to others. And, as the Host Club, it is our duty to protect all the ladies."

"Tamaki…" Haruhi started, not liking where he was going.  
"I say we should work together and come up with a plan to take down Torchwick and his cronies. That way, we would become heroes and the ladies would fall for us even more!"

Unexpectedly, many of the Hosts were excited about Tamaki's ideas about becoming crime fighters. As they began to walk back to the front of the school to return home for the day, they spoke rapidly about different strategies to catch the smooth criminal.

 _It's like being back at home, planning and investigating with my team and Team JNPR_ , she thought. _My team… I wonder how my friends are doing?_

X

 **And that's a wrap! Thank you to all who have favorited and followed the story so far. See you next time! :)**


	7. Chapter 6: A New Perspective

**Chapter 6: A New Perspective**

"Come in."

The elevator doors slid open and Yang walked out, entering Professor Ozpin's skyline office. Silence weighed down on her as she slowly made her way to the headmaster's desk, broken only by her boots on the linoleum floor and the whirring and clicking of the giant gears above her head. Normally she would walk with a slight swagger that oozed confidence, but ever since her little sister suddenly disappeared, she hasn't been bothered to try.

"Thank you for coming, Miss Xiao Long," Professor Ozpin greeted her, gesturing to a chair for her to sit.

Yang plopped down into the offered chair, the exhaustion from sleepless nights creeping in. She took an extended cup of coffee as well. She wasn't one for the bitter taste, but she allowed the warmth of the mug and the sharp scent to keep her anchored to the here and now.

Ozpin took his seat and rested his head on laced fingers, gazing at her over his tinted glasses. "I'm aware that the reason you came to my office was to see if there were any developments in the search for young Miss Rose. That's why I decided to invite you up here instead of having you continue to abandon your classes to come search for me."

The blonde gulped, suddenly guilty. She had been ditching her classes in order to find Ozpin about any new information about her sister. Sometimes she would pester Glynda or even her uncle, who she knew were also part of the search party. If she couldn't go out with them to look for her baby sister, then they better be constantly filling her in. That was her attitude on the matter.

"Well? Do you have anything?" Yang asked, trying to keep the strained desperation out of her voice. It's already been five days since Ruby vanished, seemingly into thin air, as well as that scoundrel, Roman Torchwick. Not knowing where she could be, and whether or not she was with Roman, made Yang a tangled mess of worries and frayed nerves. She needed something, _anything_. Something to give her hope that Ruby will return alive and well.

She couldn't lose another family member. Not like this.

"I have some information, but not as much as you would hope for," Ozpin sighed, pulling out his scroll and placing it on the tabletop. A hologram popped up, displaying a report that dated back to the day before.

"This," Ozpin gestured, "is a report on the strange dust residue left over in the subterranean room that Miss Rose was in when she disappeared. There isn't much known about whatever dust was used, other than color and possible physical state at the time of use."

Yang listened to Ozpin explain the findings in the report, but she wasn't really _listening_. Her mind had wandered back to when she first entered the room, winded and worried about the previous tremor that had shaken her moments before. She remembered noting that the was room was unusually big and also unusually empty, signs of a battle still evident. But the only real sign of what happened were the red-black burn marks scorching the floor, as though made by hellfire itself.

Overwhelmed, Yang deeply inhaled the coffee, which was starting to cool. Trying to anchor herself once more.

"The most interesting thing, however," Ozpin said, his voice drawing her attention back to the screen, "is that the dust crystal is unrecorded."

"Huh?"

"It means that there are no records or documents at all about it. Which is highly improbable due to the extensive categorization by corporations such as the Schnee Dust Company."

 _An unknown dust? Is that even possible?_ Yang thought. She highly doubted it. Her teammate Weiss has bragged over and over about her knowledge of every dust known to Remnant. There was no way she, or her family's business, couldn't know what had been found in that room.

Yang locked her eyes to the winding gears in the table, hoping that the ones in her head could run a little smoother and give her the answer she needed.

"Right now," Ozpin continued, "we are consulting with historians to see if there is any written record of this unknown dust, which has been nicknamed 'Vulcan'. As of right now, this is all we have learned since the last time you asked us."

Yang leaned back, shutting her eyes. She knew she shouldn't be too disappointed. It has only been two days since the last information leak. But still… It has almost been a week since the incident, and very little information has been found to suggest what might've happened to Ruby. Her despair grew a bit more.

She got up, setting down the now cold coffee mug onto the table with a shaky hand. "Thank you, Professor Ozpin."

"I'm sorry that I don't have more to give you, Miss Xiao Long," Ozpin said, his voice slightly remorseful. "Please know that if we find any more information, I will contact you right away."

Yang jerked her head in understanding, not trusting her voice to betray her true feelings. She slowly returned to the elevator, tilting her head to hide her emotions under hair and shadows. As she stepped into the elevator, Ozpin called out to her.

"Miss Xiao Long. You know just as well as I, how capable of a Huntress Miss Rose is. I believe that, no matter what happened to her, she has the skills and knowledge necessary to allow her to safety get out of her situation and return. Do not doubt the strength of your team leader."

"I hope you're right," she muttered as the doors slid to a close.

X

 _Two dust shells pummeled into her last enemy, sending him flying backward into the wall and slumping to the ground unconscious. That was the difference between fighting Grimm and fighting people: the Grimm would disappear after being defeated. All people do after taking a beating were lie around and be a waste of space until they're moved._

 _"Ah, man. I ran out," Yang whined, restocking her dust rounds and locking Ember Celica back into active mode. "Blake, can I borrow one of yours to play with?"_

 _Her partner looked back at her, placing her weapon back onto her back. "Sorry, Yang. But I don't have anymore."_

 _Yang pouted. She liked being able to fight outside of the restraints of the classroom, letting her dance with her enemy before going in for the kill. She always looks back at that one night at Junior's club as one of the greatest nights ever, because there's nothing like riding a motorcycle, dancing at a shady club, and beating down a room full of bad guys._

 _"This is the last room," Blake pointed out, glancing around at their surroundings. "Guess Torchwick is hiding down the path Weiss and Ruby took."_

 _"Well, hats off to them. Hopefully they torch him good so we can finally take him in," the blonde commented, causing her teammate to groan at the play-on-word. Before she could say anything else, the room began to shake._

It's an earthquake _, Yang though, her mind immediately throwing together a plan. The two girls stole one look at each other before they took off back down the hall, which tremored with such ferocity that they lost their footing once or twice._

 _The two ran down long corridors and twisting corners that they had recently cleared out, trying to get back to where the group had split. Surely the other half of their team had recognized the earthquake and were coming back to join them._ Torchwick be damned _, Yang thought_. I just don't want anyone to get hurt.

 _When they brust out of corridor and back into the fork in the road, they were greeted by a white figure, slightly blurred by the violent trembling._

 _"What took you guys so long?" Weiss said, having to shout to be heard over the roaring sound in the air. "We have to get out of here before this whole place comes crumbling down."_

 _"Wait," Blake said. "Where's Ruby?"_

 _Before they could wonder where their team leader was, the tremors suddenly stopped, the tunnel becoming dead quiet._

 _"What the heck was that?" Yang asked._

 _"I don't know," Weiss said, just as confused as she was. "Earthquakes don't end that quickly."_

 _"Maybe it wasn't an earthquake after all," Blake mused. She turned her attention to the heiress. "Weiss, was Ruby behind you when you were coming back? Have you seen her?"_

 _Weiss shook her head. "No. She took off down another path while I stayed and fought someone. I was just able to best him when everything started shaking."_

 _Yang was nervous now, sweat forming on her brow. Her sister hadn't noticed the tremors and come back to their meeting spot. Maybe something was stopping her from escaping the underground labyrinth. She wheeled on Weiss. "Can you show us where she went? She may be in trouble."_

 _Weiss lead the way, the three members of Team RWBY sprinting down the corridor in the direction of their missing team leader. At one point, they came across a room that showed signs of a battle, with cuts and glyph burns on the surface and a knocked-out White Fang member tied up by the wall._ Obviously Weiss's work _, Yang though, smiling at her teammate's victory. A door on the other side of the room seemed to have been blown off of its hinges, crumpled up and slightly melted. Red rose petals were sprinkled around the damage, a physical trail of evidence showing Ruby's actions. They followed it down just a little further before entering another room._

 _This one was a lot like the previous one that Weiss had fought in, a giant subterranean cavern that stretched high above them. However, despite its size, the room was suspiciously empty, completely void of occupants. Evidence of a battle were found in the room, empty rifle shells and dust explosion residue scattered about with more rose petals. But, whoever fought the battle had disappeared._

 _She heard Weiss suck in a breath, her grip tightening on her sword. "Look," she hissed._

 _The ground in the middle of the room was scorched red-black, expanding outward like hellish fingers reaching out to spread its carnage_. Did something blow up in here? Is that what caused the shaking? _Dozens more questions buzzed in her head, swirling about until only one burning question remained?_

Where's my sister?

 _"Ruby!" Yang screamed, her broken cry echoing off the walls and swallowing them all._

Yang snapped out of her flashback, slowly swimming back to reality to escape the darkness in her mind. The memory of that day comes back quickly and randomly sometimes, wrapping her up in the painful past until she almost loses all connection with the present.

She noticed that she had made it back to the dormitories, spending the entire walk from Professor Ozpin's office in deep thought. She knows that she's going to have to face her teammates, watch them as they frown at her news, stare at her as they observe her growing despair. She couldn't stand being pitied by her friends any longer.

Sighing, she opened the door to her room. Weiss and Blake sat on the bottom bunk beds, across from each other. Team JNPR was there, as well. Jaune and Pyrrha stood next to the beds, heads tucked in as they silently conversed with one another. Ren was leaning up against the wall by the window, arms tucked and head slightly angled downward. To anyone else, he may appear to be sleeping, but only those close to him know that he's actively listening to the conversation. Meanwhile, Nora was lying on one of the top bunks, reading a comic book and swinging her legs off the edge.

It wasn't strange for Team JNPR to be found in their room. Ever since the incident, they have constantly come over to visit, keeping the rest of Team RWBY company and offering their support.

All eyes turned to Yang as she slowly shut the door. Even Ren lifted his head slightly, pink eyes watching her through raven locks.

"Well," Jaune said, the first one who dared to make a move. "How did it go? Did you find anything out?"

Yang shook her head, causing some drooping blonde curls to fall over her face. The room gave a collective sigh, the air filled with disappointment. Yang walked over and flopped down onto the bunk next to her partner, exhaustion sweeping through her from the action. She rubbed her eyes and proceeded to tell everyone of her visit to the Headmaster's office. When she brought up the mysterious unknown dust 'Vulcan', Weiss seemed visibly shocked.

"That shouldn't be possible," the heiress stated. "Every single type of dust found in Remnant has been studied and catalogued by now. There's no such thing as a 'new dust'."

"But apparently there is," Ren stated, not once moving from his spot by the window. "If what Professor Ozpin says is true, then it must be true. Almost completely unheard of, but true nevertheless."

"Do you think that whatever this dust is, is what resulted in what happened back in that room?" Blake asked, looking at her partner with worry in her yellow eyes.

"Maybe," Yang admitted, shrugging at the unknown certainty. Whatever that dust is, it caused her sister to disappear.

"If that crystal caused something to happen to Ruby, then it probably got Torchwick as well," Pyrrha hypothesized. "I can't imagine any good coming from this."

Everyone nodded to this, silence falling back over the group. No one was really sure what to do now. Until Ozpin and others found more information, they were stuck at another dead end.

"Well," a voice from above started, "there's not much we can do right now. So, I suggest we go do something fun." Nora jumped down from the bunk, her stance wide and her hands on her hips. "There's a movie night happening in the cafeteria, with popcorn and everything. We should go and relax for a change."

"Nora has a good point," Jaune said, addressing the group. "It's not good to just sit around and do nothing but worry and wait. Maybe this would be a good way to unwind until we get more information."

The others seemed interested, chattering about the good that could come out of it. Only one person, however, seem unsatisfied with the suggestion.

Yang shot up, catching everyone's attention.

"Yang?" Weiss asked, concern etched in her tone.

"Count me out. The rest of you can go on without me."

With that, Yang made her way back over to the door, grabbing her backpack and gauntlets along the way. Opening the door, she paused and looked back at the teens. "I'll be back later."

She didn't even bother to note the worried look on her friends' faces as the door behind her clicked shut.

X

"Nothing. Just perfect," Yang sighed, leaning back into her chair. The item of her gloom glowed around her, creating a bright, artificial halo of light that showed the nonexistent fruits of her labors.

For the last several hours, she had slaved away in the library, skimming through every book and online archive accessible in search of any trace of the mysterious Dust crystal Professor Ozpin spoke of. But, just like he said, there was no record showing of its existence. Still, she had to look for herself. She had to see whether he was being truthful to her, or hiding some juicy detail that would leave her rushing off to her sister's aid.

She groaned and stretched, exhaustion seeping in. Before she had turned to the library for voluntary research, she had spent several hours brawling in one of the academy's simulation practice arenas, unleashing her frustration and pent-up energy onto any enemy that was thrown her direction. The combination of intense combat and lack of sleep was suddenly starting to creep up on her, and she begrudgingly caved to their will.

She shut down the computer, the projected hologram fading away along with the images of her wasted efforts. It was well into the night now, the shattered crescent moon hanging high in the sky. She was currently the only one left in the library, which was always open late for students that needed to continue working on their assignments. Exiting the library, she began to make her away across campus back to her dorm; her _minus-one_ occupied dorm.

The crescent moon illuminated the night with an almost enchanting glow and the slight breeze that ruffled her clothes seemed to carry the eerie sound of wind chimes. Yang continued her journey, not even noticing that she had gotten turned around in her destination. Instead of heading towards her room, she was making her way towards the statue that stands in the middle of the courtyard, almost like in a trance.

Arriving at the statue, she was slightly surprised to see that she was not alone at this midnight hour. In front of the statue stood a figure, dressed head-to-toe in red and black and wearing what seemed to be a Grimm-like mask. The breeze died down, as though the world was silently awaiting the interactions of the two figures.

"Who are you?" she asked, breaking the silence first.

The figure reached up and removed her mask ever so slowly, as though slowly revealing a well-hidden truth. Finishing the task, the figure looked up, and Yang immediately noticed two things. The first was that the figure was, in fact, a woman, with a feminine face and long, curling hair as dark as midnight. The second was her eyes, which gazed upon her in a cold, keen gaze.

Eyes that, like hers sometimes, were a vibrant crimson red.

"Yang," the woman began, in a voice the blonde never thought she would ever be hearing again. "We have a lot to talk about."

X

 **And that's a wrap! With this chapter, I am officially caught back up on the one-chapter-a-week ratio. Thank you to all who have favorited and followed the story so far. See you next time! :)**


	8. Chapter 7: A New Discovery

**Chapter 7: A New Discovery**

The grandfather clock rang out the 4 o'clock hour, echoing off the walls of the main study.

Ruby ignored the chimes, instead focused on the screen in front of her. After the incident the day before at Paradise High School, Ruby asked Kyoya to look into similar incidents that have occurred in the last week. Anything that involved the presence of a strange weapon, or reference to a criminal organization of any kind. She needed to see the reports in order to determine just how far Roman's reach has gotten, and how many he may already have under his gloved thumb.

Ever since breakfast, she has been sitting in one of the plush divan couches in the main study of the Suoh manor, skimming through the information Kyoya had gathered for her. _Guess being a rich kid does have its perks_ , Ruby thought as she scanned police reports and witness statements.

So far, only three other incidents like the one to Ruby and Haruhi have occurred, each with less than stellar results. All three involved a "strange handgun" being used to mug unsuspecting victims, one report even mentioning their foot being frozen over after hearing a gunshot. _Ice dust shells_ , she noted, surprised that some of the guns have actual dust rounds loaded in them. While the police are unsure of what to make of the incidents so far, they have issued warning to stay safe and report any oddities to the nearest station.

A pair of hands wrapped around silver eyes, blocking out the witness statement she was reading. "Guess who?" a voice from behind her asked, the chipper tone automatically giving away the culprit.

"Cut it out, Uncle Tamaki," Ruby huffed, swiping away the intruding hands. "I need my eyes in order to read, you know?"

"I know, but you've been doing that since breakfast," Tamaki whined, coming around the couch. "That's honestly the most reading I've seen you do, since you hardly pay attention to the lectures at school."

She stuck her tongue out, looking up to pin him with a sharp glare. She paused, however, when she actually saw him. "Hey, Uncle Tamaki. What are you wearing?"

Tamaki broke into a wide smile. "Why, I thought you would never ask! Tonight, there's a festival happening at one of the nearby shrines, and the Host Club is determined to be there. So, I called everyone up and the whole Club will be meeting up to enjoy the festival together. That means you as well, my flower."

Ruby stared at the Tamaki, not sure where to begin. He was wearing a dark blue kimono that raced all the way to his ankles, a golden dragon threaded into the right breast. An ivory sash wrapped around his waist, holding the garment close. Visible under the bottom edge of the kimono were a pair of sandals called zori, accompanied by ivory tabi. Tucked into the sash was a folding fan that was undoubtingly made with fine material. Overall, the whole ensemble screamed expensive, like a rich child playing dress-up.

"You seem excited," Ruby guessed, eyeing his outfit.

"Absolutely! Festivals are a time for common folk to have fun and celebrate their culture. From buying food from different stalls to paying their respects at the shrine's altar, there's so much to do!" Tamaki was bouncing on his heels like an excited kid, the wooden sandals clicking on the linoleum floor. "The twins had outfits made for everyone to wear, including you."

This was the first time she noticed the bag in his hand, which is strange because it's actually quite hard to miss. She probably didn't even register it the first time around because of Tamaki's costume. Now, she could clearly see a bag rounding out slightly from the contents within.

"I don't know, Tamaki," she admitted, glancing back down at the reports. "Ever since yesterday, I've realized that Roman can cause even more trouble in this world than in mine. No one has the ability to stop him but me. I just don't think I can sit around knowing he's out there, starting trouble."

"Which is exactly why you're going to come to the festival with us," Tamaki countered, his eyes dulling slightly and his tone becoming stern. "I understand that you're frustrated that this Torchwick character is causing problems. And I understand that you are the only one who knows about these weapons and their true potential. But, I also know that no good will come out of sitting around, worrying and waiting for trouble to come knocking."

He flopped down onto the divan next to her, taking the laptop out of her lap and closed it, setting it down on the coffee table. He grabbed her hands and looked her in the eyes. "Not only are you a member of the Host Club, but you are also a young lady. This means that I should care about your personal well-being, whether you want me to or not. Stressing over this man will not do you any good and, if anything, can lead to you doing something rash that could get yourself hurt in the end." His voice was firm, yet kind in the way a friend gives you advice. "So, for now, enjoy the festival. Relish being a member of the Host Club and all it entails. Unwind and enjoy yourself. So, even when Torchwick does finally make a move, you'll be ready for him."

Once again, the reaper was stunned by the blond's maturity. Silver eyed locked with blue, no one making a move. Finally, Ruby sighed in defeat, knowing that she could never beat Tamaki in a contest of will. Also, it would be a good way to get her mind off of the incident.

"Fine, Tamaki. You win." She grabbed the bag from Tamaki, her smile matching his.

"So, let's go check out this festival."

X

The stars had come out and the full moon hung in the sky, painting a gorgeous backdrop for a festival. The Host Club members had gathered at Hakusan Shrine, everyone wearing fancy kimonos. Haruhi was wearing a beautiful purple furisode kimono, covered in elegant silver flowers and a matching silver sash. Her hair was pinned with an equally beautiful kanzashi of silk flowers and a matching fan completed the ensemble.

"Haruhi. Your outfit is really pretty," Ruby complimented.

"Thank you," she responded, slightly fiddling with the long sleeves. "I'm really not used to wearing something so fancy, but I can't really tell the Club no when it comes to group clothing."

Ruby laughed, twirling around in admiration of her outfit. Her outfit was much different, consisting of a black-and-red silk gothic Lolita kimono, decorated with silk butterflies. The sleeves were long like the furisode style, but trimmed with black lace like her short, above-the-knee skirt. She wore her regular combat boots with black knee-high socks trimmed with lace, and a black-trimmed red sash looped around her waist and tied into a bow in the back.

For the next two hours, the Host Club explored the festival, taking in all of the sights and sounds. They had fun sampling different food stalls, from takoyaki and yakisoba to candy apples and dangos. They also stopped to play at some of the game stalls. While Honey and Mori surprised everyone at the goldfish scooping, Ruby swept the competition at the sharp-shooting booth.

At one point, they walked to the front of the shrine to pray and pay their respects along with other festival-goers. Kyoya spent some time during their time at the front explaining the history of the Hakusan Shrine, seeming to enjoy the task.

A couple of hours have passed by, the twilight hour fully setting in now. Ruby was hanging back a little, listening in to a conversation with Honey and Mori and nibbling on a multi-colored dango when someone called out to her.

She walked over to join the twins in front of a pillar, who were spending their time people watching. "What's up?" she asked when she got to them.

"Nothing much," Karou said.

"Just thought that you would want to check out what we found," Hikaru added, nodding his head out to the crowd. Ruby peered off in the direction he indicated, trying to find what he was gesturing towards. Almost immediately, she spotted what caught their interest.

Standing a distance away, in front of a similar pillar, two men stood starkly out in the crowd. They wore full dark grey suits, their hair slicked into a professional style. The taller of the two was speaking into a cell phone while his companion scanned the crowd with a sharp gaze.

"I don't think those guys are here for the festival," Hikaru said, speaking what they were all thinking out loud.

"What do you guys think?" Ruby asked.

"If you're asking if we should sneak after those men and see what they're up to –" Karou started.

"- then you're absolutely right," Hikaru finished, sharing twin mischievous smirks.

The trio followed the two men through the crowd, which wasn't too hard since their suits starkly stood out to the more traditional wear of the other patrons. They ended up winding down a less crowded path, leading them a distance from the main part of the shrine and festivities. They chose to stick to the tree line in order to avoid being detected. They eventually came upon a small, desolate shed, the noises of the festival carried over by a breeze.

As the two men rounded the shed, the three silently sprinted the open distance, pressing up against the shed and slowly rounding the corner. Standing several yards ahead of them was a man wearing a black kimono covered by a matching haori. His glasses reflected the moonlight as he bowed to the two men approaching him.

"Well?" the taller man asked, crossing his arms and glaring at the kimono man with disinterest.

"The chief, as well as the other prominent members of the bank, are currently enjoying the festivities, drinking away in one of the tents. They will not even notice what's going on until it's too late," the kimono man assured. Adjusting his glasses, he turned his attention to the smaller of the two. "How are preparations on your end? We have to ensure that everything is perfect."

"Don't worry, we're ready to begin," the smaller man said. "All of our men are position. When the fireworks begin, everyone will be too busy watching them to notice what's going on. Even if someone does, we have ways to silence them."

Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a sleek object that reflected the moonlight. _It's a Remnant gun_ , Ruby noted, silver eyes widening as he daintily held the deadly object.

"Hey. Isn't that the same gun Roman's guys had?" Hikaru whispered, his twin hushing him to stop talking or else give away their position.

The taller man motioned for his partner to put the gun away. "No need to attract suspicion, even this far out. How much are we looking at total?"

The kimono man answered. "Over 2 billion yen for the taking. You'll have your money and we will teach Chief Yasukazu and the world to not underestimate our power."

 _They're talking about a bank robbery_ , Ruby realized. _Roman's making his move a lot sooner than I thought._ The reaper was horrified to find out that this plan was happening right under her nose, but she wouldn't panic. She knew that she had to find and stop Torchwick, and the first step was to stop this heist.

She turned to the twins. "They're planning a bank robbery," she whispered, their eyes confirming that they figured the same thing. "Do you know which bank they're going after?"

"Hmm…" they hummed, thinking for a minute. Finally, Karou eyes widen, a tiny noise escaping his mouth. "I remember our father once talking about working with a bank chief with that name once."

"Yeah, now that you mention it, so do I," Hikaru agreed, keeping his voice down. "He said that they were working together, helping some company with financing a project. I believe the name was Teito Bank."

"Teito Bank," the reaper echoed, her mind already coming up with a plan. "Hikaru, Karou, where is the bank located?"

They looked at her dubiously. "Are you seriously planning on going over and taking on those bank robbers?"

Ruby nodded. "It's the least I can do. Besides, I have Crescent Rose with me, so I'll be safe." She patted the back of her sash where her scythe remained hidden, obscured by the large bow. "One of you needs to call the other Hosts and tell them what's going on. We need them to contact the police and –"

" _Kiss, kiss. Fall in love!"_

The three teens froze, realizing that they hadn't bothered muting their phones when they went sneaking off after the men. Ruby face-palmed as the song Tamaki had made for all her incoming calls chimed in her sash. Rookie mistake.

"Who's there?" one of the men called out. The three men were alert of their presence now, the two men in suits pulling out their guns and aiming in their general direction.

Cursing, Ruby grabbed her scythe and began readying her Semblance. "I'm going to knock them out. You get ready to tie them up with whatever you can find."

She sped around the corner, Crescent Rose fully extended, and sprinted towards the men. They were caught off guard, whether from the deadly gleam of her scythe in the moonlight or by her sudden appearance. Either way, she sped through them, whirling her weapon in order to whack them over the head and send them crashing to the ground. Once she finished, she tucked Crescent Rose away as the twins dashed out of their hiding place with some rope they just happened to find lying around.

As the two went to work tying up the three men, making sure to move their guns away from arm's reach, Ruby pulled out her phone to see who was calling. " _Haruhi Fujioka"_ the caller ID displayed.

 _Speaking of the Host Club_ , Ruby thought, the coincidence almost ironic. Sighing, she answered the phone.

"Ruby? Where did you go?" Haruhi asked, almost having to shout to be heard over the other festival-goers.

"Tamaki, quiet down. I'm talking to Ruby right now You don't have to keep shouting their names." It sounded like Haruhi was holding the phone away from to shout to the others. The reaper could barely hear Tamaki in the background chatting to Honey about which direction the three of them had gone. "Sorry about that. Tamaki is trying to find you guys. We were all together and then suddenly, you and the twins had disappeared. Tamaki wants to want the fireworks together as a group so you need to hurry back before he tears through half of the festival trying to find you guys."

"Yo, Ruby."

Ruby turned to see the twins standing over three bound men, who were now sporting fresh bruises on their faces. "We got the guys tied up for you, but they won't budge about the heist," Karou said.

"Great" she replied. "One of you go find an officer to take care of these guys."

"Ruby?" Haruhi's voice called out through the phone. "Are you still there?"

Turning back to her phone, Ruby responded. "Yeah, I'm still here. I don't have much time, so I'll keep it short. Torchwick's on the move. There's a robbery happening right now at Teito Bank. I need you to contact the police and send them that direction."

Haruhi sounded surprised at first, but recovered. "What about you, Ruby? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going ahead to the bank. If anyone can take on Torchwick and his men, it's me. I'll see you all there."

"Are you sure you can handle this?"

Ruby smiled. "Remember, I'm a Huntress. I've dealt with way worse than this." With that, she hung up and turned to face Hikaru, since the other ran off in search of a cop. "Which way is Teito Bank?"

A long finger pointed towards the south. "If I remember correctly, it's in 5-chome, block 4, south of the shrine."

"Got it. Thanks, Hikaru," Ruby said. With that, the Huntress-in-training activated her Semblance, shooting off in the direction of the bank heist, leaving a flurry of rose petals in her wake.

X

 **And that's a wrap! A special note: In Japan, Tokyo is broken into special wards, each with a multitude of large neighborhoods called chomes. Anyways, thank you to all who have favorited and followed the story so far. See you next time! :)**


	9. Chapter 8: A New Opponent

**Chapter 8: A New Opponent**

It took about a quarter of an hour to reach the correct location Hikaru pointed out, even with Ruby's enhanced speed. She had to speed around towering buildings, late night foot and vehicle traffic, and even sprinted through a park in order to cut her travel time down. She needed to get there as soon as possible, especially after hearing over the phone that Tamaki was getting ready to watch the fireworks.

She was going so fast at one point that she almost sprinted right by it. Only by the tiny shred of light from the beginning burst of the firework show did she see her destination.

 _Teito Bank_ , Ruby thought, reading the gold-plated sign hanging over the double doors. The building looked normal enough, with no easy access to the roof and the front doors and windows shuttered close. But she knew that someone was inside with ill intentions.

 _Torchwick's guys were probably already inside or they had someone inside let them in_ , Ruby guessed. _Either way, I need to find a way in_.

With one final glance at the shuttered doors, Ruby slipped into the alleyway between the bank and the adjacent building. She scanned the building for some sign of weakness, one that she can use in order to slip in without alerting anyone of her presence.

Rounding the corner, Ruby took stock of two things at once. The first was that the alley at the back of the building was a lot larger than the sides. It was wide enough that vehicles can easily slip between the buildings for back door access. The second was that one of the back entrances to the bank was, in fact, sitting open for anyone to gain access to.

Upon closer inspection, Ruby spotted a couple of vehicles located in the opening. Two large vans and a motorcycle were parked in what seemed to be a locking bay the bank probably uses to load and unload money. If this entrance was shuttered close like the front, then someone on the inside opened the gate to let the robbers in.

Thinking back, she remembered that the man in the kimono was an employee of the bank, maybe even one of the chief's trusted right-hand men. It could very likely be that either the guy himself or someone he trusts let Torchwick's men in.

Pulling out Crescent Rose and setting it to sniper mode, Ruby slipped into the back entrance, passed the vehicles and walked through the door leading into the heart of the bank.

The inside of the bank was surprisingly bright, though you could never tell from the outside. She padded down the lit hallway, careful to reduce the sound of her footsteps.

Turning the corner, the room severely opened up. It seemed that she was in a passage way that lead to the restrooms and the back entrance. Just off to the side and slightly up were clusters of desks, probably for the employees. A long desk cut across the floor, with several windows for people to do business at. After that it was surprisingly spacious, ATMs lining the walls.

Lounging about at the desk and on the counter were half a dozen bank robbers, all wearing white and red-streaked masks. _Torchwick does have a thing for consistency_ , Ruby thought, noting that the masks were very similar to the ones used by the White Fang.

"How much longer is this going to take?" one of the men asked, discarding a magazine he had found lying about.

"Not too much longer," another man replied. He was at the counter with a briefcase that, Ruby saw from afar, was packed to the brim with money. "Chief had to go check our escape route one more time. Once he returns, then we double check the loot and get the hell out of here."

A third man got up from one of the desks with a computer and joined the man at the counter. "I just confirmed that the transfer is complete. We also have access to all other banks, as well as any investments that were made in the last year. Given a good couple of days to run its course, we can expect a hefty paycheck."

Excited exclamations were made by the group, confident of their plan going off without a hitch. With that much money, even the most innocent of men can grow corrupt. So, give it to an already criminal and you're asking for serious trouble. No, Torchwick and his band of misfits will not be getting a paycheck today.

Not if Ruby can help it.

Tucking Crescent Rose away, she rounded the corner and into the bright light of the main bank room.

Her boots echoed on the linoleum floor as she slowly made her to the group of masked crooks. "Hello? I'm here to make a deposit."

The excitement choked to an end as the group all turned to look at her. A small stare off happened for a few seconds before the group sprang into action. The second man grabbed the briefcase and ran off to the opposite wall where even more were gathered. Meanwhile, his buddies raised standard Remnant pistols at her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here, little girl?" one man asked, looking her over. "Shouldn't you off at the festival giggling with your friends?"

"I was," Ruby shrugged. "Until I found out that there was a bank heist in the process. So, I am here to arrest you all for theft."

A beat passed, then the group busted into laughter. "You think we're threatened by you?" the guy reading the magazine asked, clutching his sides.

"Yeah, I think so," Ruby said, whipping her hand behind her to grab Crescent Rose. The weapon fully extended into its deadly scythe mode, the sharp steel blade glistening. The group only had the second to exclaim alarm and shout a command to fire before Ruby shot forward with her Semblance, whacking the men upside the head and knocking them all unconscious.

When she slowed out of her speed boost, she stumbled slightly, becoming lightheaded. She mentally cursed, realizing that she had overused her Semblance and needed time to recharge.

 _Probably using it almost the entire way wasn't such a great idea_ , Ruby thought. She walked over to the collection of briefcases stacked against the wall, counting seven total. All she has to do was wait for the police to arrive and hand over the thieves and money.

"Well, well, well. I'll be damned. You actually did manage to show up," a deep voice chuckled from behind her. "Now I'm going to have to apologize for calling him a liar."

Spinning, she set her sniper on her new opponent. A black leather biker jacket covered a white button-down, which was tucked into stylishly-ripped dark jeans. Black leather boots and matching fingerless gloves completed the ensemble, as though he didn't have any concern with leaving fingerprint evidence behind. Coiled around his waist was a black utility belt, decorated with a multitude of pouches and loops to hold various weapons and equipment. Laced through one of those loops was a mask similar to those on the other robbers, though slightly larger that it could cover the whole face.

The absence of the mask allowed the man's face to be on full display. Jet black hair was slicked back in a stylish manner that would require copious amounts of hairspray and gel to accomplish. A five o'clock shadow was casted across his face, as prominent as his dark brown eyes. The feature that caught her attention was a jagged scar racing over the bridge of his nose.

Silver eyes widened at the sight. _This must be the Lieutenant_ , Ruby realized, recalling the brief description given the other day. Narrowing her gaze, she releveled her weapon at the man's chest.

"Easy now, Red. No need to be hostile," the man said, raising his hands in a mock surrender. "You are Red, correct?"

"Who's to know?"

"Hirofumi Matsuno, at your service," the man proclaimed, giving a slight bow. "Torchwick told me quite a bit about you, among other things. About how you seem to constantly pop up all over the place like a persistent tumor. Quite the reputation, if you ask me."

Ruby chose to ignore to that comment. "I bet. What exactly is he trying to accomplish here? Japan isn't like Remnant."

"Oh, he's fully aware of that," Hirofumi said, staying in his bowed position but having his head tilted up to keep dark brown eyes locked onto silver. "There are reasons for his wanting to run the underground of this country, but that isn't my place to discuss. As long as his plans allow me to continue to do whatever I damn please, I'm willing to go along for the ride."

"Of course, there is a way for you to get those answers," he continued, slightly shifting his posture to slide an arm behind his back but never breaking eye contact. "I bring you to him for him to do whatever his pleases. Whether that be willingly or unconscious and dropped at his feet completely depends on you. Though, I hope you would at put up a fight before I hand you over. It would make my night a lot more interesting."

Ruby huffed, switching Crescent Rose into scythe mode. "Not going to happen."

Dark brown eyes dulled and a malevolent smile broke out across his face. "Excellent. It's always more fun when they fight back."

He sprung up from his bow and slashed towards her, a weapon suddenly in hand.

Ruby was a fraction too late to react, having to roll to the side to avoid being cut. Whirling around, she caught a glimpse of the weapon now in hand.

It appeared to be a khopesh sword, made of dark steel and black leather. The handle was shaped like a snake's head, with a purple jewel eye twinkling. Normally, she would've admired the craftmanship if it wasn't currently being held by some crazy guy.

He dashed after her, twisting the khopesh in a deadly arc. She swung Crescent Rose upward, catching the blade in its curve. Sparks flew between them as each wielder tried to shove the other back. Despite Ruby having more experience, Hirofumi was twice her size and much stronger.

Ruby tumbled back, trying to keep a hold of her weapon. Just as she regained her footing, Hirofumi was back again, forcing her to play defense and dance around in order to avoid getting sliced.

 _I'm at a major disadvantage here_ , Ruby thought briefly between each blow. _Size is not on my side._ She grunted as she popped up from another evasive roll. _I need to get some distance._

Tapping into her severely dwindled Semblance, she shot across the room. A laugh followed after her, sending a chill racing down her back.

"Smart move, Red. Get away from the danger. Great survival tactic," Hirofumi called out from the other side of the room. He was closing one of the pouches on his belt and twirling his sword with a grand flourish. "I saw you admiring my new weapon earlier. Call it Ophiuchus, based on the serpent zodiac. No reason to, but you people give your weapons names so I thought, 'What the hell'?"

He positioned himself into a low crouch, his khopesh-wielding arm crossed across his body. "But I'll let you in on a secret, Red. Nothing is ever as it seems." Pressing the jewel snake eye, he swung his arm in a deadly arc, sending a wave of fire racing towards her.

Panicked, Ruby spun her scythe to dissipate the oncoming flames, only to have more chasing after. Steel combatted fire, trying to keep it away from the young reaper. Still, she could feel her Aura working double-time to keep her protected. If this kept going, she had no way of telling if her Aura would last much longer.

After extinguishing another burst of flames, she raced forward to close the distance. He seemed to expect this and, with lightning reflexes, popped another dust crystal into the chamber on the handle and activate the snake's eye.

Crescent Rose swung down and ate into a chunk of solid ice. Hirofumi spun down to the ground and brought his weapon up to catch her. Arms still holding onto her scythe, Ruby kicked her boot down, crashing into his hand and sending his sword clattering to the ground. Using the momentum, she yanked her blade free and fell into a back roll, popping back up into a ready stand.

Cursing, the man lunged for his khopesh, which she swiftly shot away. The criminal stared at her, fists curled and dark eyes sparked with anger.

Behind her, Ruby could hear the tell-tale sign of sirens closing in. _Bring in the cavalry_ , the reaper thought, sighing in relief. Once they get here, they can take care of Hiro and his men and we'll be one step closer to Torch-

WHAM!

Ruby's head snapped to the side, pain blossoming all over her face. Thick red liquid raced from her newly battered nose, splattering her once nice kimono with blood. Clutching her face, she glanced up to see the Lieutenant smirking triumphantly, with more of her blood sprinkling his gloves.

The smirk disappeared when the sound of sirens became louder. "Man, just when things were getting good." He bowed to the bleeding Huntress-in-training, retrieving his khopesh and hooking it back onto his belt. He reached into two pouches, pulling out a fire and ice crystal. "Well then, Red. Until next time." And he threw them on the ground, creating a steam screen.

Ruby swiped at the air, trying to get rid of some of the steam. When it finally dissipated enough, she noticed that Hirofumi was gone, leaving her alone with the other knocked-out bank robbers.

"Freeze!"

Ruby leapt at the sudden command. Turning towards the hallway leading to the back entrance, she spotted half a dozen police officers in riot gear. A smile broke out on her face. Even though Hirofumi got away, she still stopped the bank heist.

"Put the weapon down and slowly put your hands up!" one of the officers shouted. It took her a second to realize that he was talking to her. Stunned, she laid Crescent Rose on the ground, not even bothering to compact it.

When she raised her hands, the officers moved forward, making their way around the room to collect the fallen robbers. One of the officers approached her and grabbed her arms. The clanking of chains and feeling of cold metal encasing her wrists didn't register immediately. It wasn't until she was being escorted out the recently unshuttered front door that it clicked that she was being arrested as well. She tried to speak up to protest, but someone beat her to it.

"Ruby!"

The reaper turned to see the Host Club running down the street, everyone still dressed in their festival garbs. A limo sat along the curb just a little behind the group, meaning that they had someone drive over to meet up with her. She could the worry in their eyes, taking in the blood and bruises that were starting to darken.

Two officers stepped forward to keep the group back, much to their dismay. "Please stay back. This area is still being secured."

"But that's our friend right there," Honey said, pointing over at the cuffed girl.

"She didn't do anything wrong," Karou shouted, everyone nodding in agreement.

"Guys," Ruby called out, catching their attention. She looked at each one individually, her gaze straying a second longer on Kyoya. "I'm sure everything will work out, okay? They probably just want to ask me some questions. I'll be back with you all in no time."

She listened to her friends calling out her name as she was placed into a police car. The door slammed shut and the vehicle took off, carrying the Huntress-in-training with it.

X

 **And that's a wrap! Thank you to all who have favorited and followed the story so far,** **and I would like to give a shout out to darkvampirekisses for their comment on the last chapter** **. See you next time! :)**


	10. Chapter 9: A New Approach

**Chapter 9: A New Approach**

The clock on the wall in the small interrogation room softly ticked away, the only noise in the room. Ruby sat on one side of a large table, staring at a soon-to-be-occupied chair waiting on the other side. Once they had arrived to the police station, the officers placed her in this room and told her to just wait. Therefore, she had been sitting there for the past half-hour, watching as the clock slowly crept further into the one o'clock hour.

The reaper sighed and shifted slightly, the cuff encasing her wrist clinking in response. How badly she wanted her beloved Crescent Rose, having had her weapon striped away almost immediately. She knew that her scythe presently sat outside the room, probably being peered at with fearful eyes. _I mean, what's wrong? It's just a giant scythe that can also shoot sniper rounds and can be compacted to sit on my hip. Nothing scary here._

She could feel her Aura recharging, slowly filling her with energy while at the same time patching up her battered nose. Blood tarnished the fine silk sleeve of her kimono from when she tried to stop some of the flow earlier, staining the delicate fabric. However, thanks to the large mirror covering one of the walls, she could see that she still had a small amount of crimson smeared across her face.

 _I'm going to have to apologize to Tamaki and the twins later for ruining it_.

Before she could get bored enough to try falling asleep, the door to the tiny room opened. A man made his way into the room, slapping a folder onto the table and plopping down in the opposing seat.

Ruby quickly picked up on a couple of interesting items about the man. He wore a nice business suit, his police badge tucked in the breast pocket. Salt-and-pepper hair was slicked back to expose dark, stormy eyes. He folded his hands together to rest his chin on, staring at her over his thin-framed glasses.

"Good even, miss. My name is Inspector Shiratori of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Can you please provide your name, age, and current residency?"

Deciding to play along, Ruby answered honestly. "My name is Ruby Rose, age 15. I currently live with Tamaki Suoh and attend Ouran Academy."

A spark of interest illuminated those dark eyes, but it was quickly smothered. Humming, he wrote down the information on one of the sheets in the folder.

"Thank you for cooperating. Let's cut to the chase, then, since I know that it's late," he stated, starting to remove some photographs from the folder and placing them on the table. Silver eyes scanned the familiar images of the bank and the robbers in their White Fang imitation masks.

"Tonight, at approximately 12:35 pm, an officer on duty at the festival occurring at Hakusan Shrine was alerted to criminal activity by a high schooler. After alerting nearby forces, he followed the high schooler to find three criminals tied up behind a shed located away from the festivities. According to another high schooler on the scene, there was a robbery occurring at Teito Bank, located in the 5th chome. The officer was also informed that one of their friends had rushed off to the scene of the crime to try and stop the robbers single-handedly. After alerting appropriate personnel about the robbery, he arrested the three criminals, interviewed the two high schoolers at the scene, and then returned to the festival."

The inspector showed a couple more photos and the written interview of Hikaru and Karou. "At approximately 12:54 am, our branch was informed of the robbery occurring at Teito Bank. Appropriate personnel were sent to apprehend the robbers. Upon arrival at 1:02 am, they found half a dozen masked individuals knocked unconscious and a young teen wielding what looked to be a giant cosplay weapon. While the officers were able to stop the digital routing of the money, over 3 million yen in cash have been reported missing. As such, all aforementioned individuals were arrested and brought to the station for questioning."

Ruby mentally cursed. She thought that Hirofumi only used the smoke screen as a disappearing act. Instead, he also used it to hide him snagging some of the money-filled cases before making a break for it.

Sighing, he set down the folder and regarded the younger girl. "Now, after looking at the write-up of the officer at the festival and the one for the raid on Teito Bank, I can conclude that you were the 'friend' that went to try and stop the robbery herself." Storm clouds gathered in his eyes as he leaned in. "Would you care to explain how you happened to be at the scene of the crime before the police showed up, armed with such a dangerous weapon?"

Ruby swallowed thickly. _How can I explain what happened without giving away my connection to Torchwick?_

Before she could answer, the door to the interrogation room swung open. The two occupants turned their attention to look at another officer standing in the doorway, looking a little winded.

"Sir, sorry to intrude," the man stated, giving a salute. Nodding, Inspector Shiratori stood and stepped just outside to converse with the officer. Apparently, whatever the man said to him wasn't what he wanted to hear, the older officer's voice raising slightly in irritation. Silver eyes curiously watched as the two reentered the cramped room, the older male gathering up the scattered photos and papers while the younger quickly removed the handcuffs ensnarling her wrists.

"Well, it looks like you are off the hook for tonight, Miss Rose," Inspector Shiratori exclaimed, slight bitterness lacing his words. "You must be very close friends with the famous Ootori family to have them personally represent you for release. According to them, you were there defending the bank and shall be deemed a hero for your actions. While I would gladly like to ask for the truth from you, my superior and his 'benefactors' believe otherwise."

Ruby was slowly guided by the younger officer out of that tiny room, before being stopped by the Inspector one last time. "Trust me when I tell you this, Miss Rose. I am determined to get the truth about this case, and I won't stop until I have it." And with that, the two parted ways.

The younger officer, who introduced himself as Officer Takagi, guided Ruby through the chaotic police station. When they arrived at the entrance, Ruby broke into a smile at the sight of the Kyoya, with Crescent Rose leaning against the wall next to him. Standing adjacent was a stern statue of a man dressed in a silk suit and tie. _Probably the guy who got me out of interrogation._

"Took you long enough," Ruby teased.

Kyoya smirked in response. "To be quite fair, you didn't exactly give me a lot of time. Honestly, you're even more problematic than Tamaki."

Laughing, the reaper retrieved her beloved scythe, quickly compacting it and tucking it away back under her sash. She couldn't help but snicker at the looks of fear in the nearby officers' eyes as the two made their way outside to join the others.

Once outside, Ruby was surrounded by the other Host Club members, almost dying from the ginormous group hug threatening to crush her. The next several minutes were filled with questions about if she was alright and what happened at the Bank and in the police station. Ruby tried to answer them the best she could while wiping the remaining blood off of her face with an offered handkerchief.

"Everyone," Kyoya announced, catching the club's attention. "Due to how late it is and the matter at hand, let's get into the limousine and continue this conversation on our way back to Tamaki's house."

Muttered agreements ensued, leading to the Hosts packing themselves into the back of an awaiting limousine.

As the group rode down the partially empty streets back to Tamaki's mansion, Ruby recounted the events that transpired at Teito Bank and the information she gained during her time in the police station. Everyone was enthralled at the narration of her fight with Hirofumi, oohing and ahhing at the right moments. After she finished with her tale, Haruhi was the first to speak up.

"Hirofumi… I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before," she mused, turning to look over at the bespectacled teen. "Kyoya, wasn't he some dangerous serial killer that was arrested years ago?"

Kyoya nodded, scrolling through his phone, looking at information on the man. "Hirofumi Matsuno. Around 40 years of age with jet black hair and a defining scar across the bridge of his nose. Before his incarceration five years prior, he was a dangerous criminal with a violent record. Several accounts of arson, robbery, and manslaughter have been reported with him as the prime suspect. For a while, he was known as The Black Snake and terrorized Japan for almost 15 years. Reports say that he was broken out of prison almost two weeks ago, and that his current whereabouts are unknown."

Thinking back to her interactions with the deranged man, the name he gave his weapon now took on a new meaning. _The Snake Constellation, huh_ , she thought. _Probably thinks he's indestructible now thanks to Torchwick. I'm going to have to be careful around him._

"To think that someone like him is out and about in Tokyo…" Hikaru started.

"…and that he's working with that Torchwick guy," Karou finished, both of them shuddering in response.

"Thank goodness that you got out of there okay, Ruby-chan!" Honey said, springing across the car to tackle the reaper in a hug. "I don't know what would've happened if you had gotten hurt."

"Mitsukuni," Mori said, pulling the smaller boy back into his seat. "She was injured, remember?"

"I know. I mean _really_ hurt," the blond pouted, throwing his arms wide in emphasis.

"If only I was there to protect you, my flower," Tamaki stated, dramatically moving his fan in the air like he was conducting an orchestra. "It's extremely ungentlemanly to punch a woman, no matter the circumstances. When I get my hands on him, I'm going to teach that lowlife to never disrespect a young lady again."

A beat of silence filled the back of the limo before the twins burst into laughter.

"Man, boss. I know you're eccentric at times, but you're not that crazy," Hikaru chastised.

Karou continued. "This man is a dangerous escaped convict. You have no possible chance of even getting close to him."

"Besides," Haruhi added, laying a hand on the taller blond's shoulder. "The only ones in our group who could stand a chance against him, besides Ruby, are Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai. We simply don't have the skills or training to face Hirofumi, or any of Torchwick's men."

 _Haruhi has a point_ , the Huntress-in-training mused, staring out the window to watch the city lights stream pass. _Besides for Honey and Mori, no one else has the ability to fight Torchwick and his cronies. Even those two, with the training they currently possess, were barely able to take on a Beowolf. Without proper training and equipment, they have no chance in ever succeeding._

Ruby paused, a thought suddenly coming to her. Torchwick was recruiting individuals from all over Tokyo to join his ranks, skilled or not, as evident of those teens at Paradise High. If he can train people from this world to use weapons from Remnant, why couldn't she?

 _We just need a new approach._

"I have an idea," she started, catching the attention of everyone in the limo. Seven pairs of eyes widened as she explained her idea to them. "If you really want to help, I can teach you all how to fight with weapons from my world. When I landed here, around a dozen crates full of weapons and Dust crashed in the forest along with me. I can teach you to use them as a way to protect yourself and others. That way, if and when Torchwick and his men come, we'll be ready."

No one said anything for a minute. She could see the gears turning in their eyes as they digested her proposal. Surprising, Haruhi was the first one to speak.

"Normally, I wouldn't support these rich kids doing anything crazy that could hurt themselves," Haruhi said, glancing over at her fellow Hosts. "However, from that encounter on Friday, as well as what happened at Teito Bank, I think that knowing how to defend ourselves would be better than doing nothing."

Tamaki beamed, perking up in his seat. "Alright, gentlemen. It's time to fight back. Torchwick will regret the day that he decided to mess with the Ouran High School Host Club!"

Everyone cheered, the air filling with excitement. As the limo wound its way through the streets of Tokyo, the twilight soon to lighten with the dawn of a new day, eight teens began to plan their counterattack.

X

 **And that's a wrap! FYI, I'm not dead and will still be writing this story, so please be patient of my haphazard chapter posting. Thank you to all who have favorited and followed the story so far** **. See you next time! :)**


	11. Chapter 10: A New Piece of Advice

**Chapter 10: A New Piece of Advice**

The sun streamed in through the windows, promising a beautiful day outside the confides of the room. Many have retreated outdoors to enjoy the freedom from classes and bask in the warm rays. However, one figure seemed to ignore nature's allure, content with lying on their bed for the duration of the day so far. After all, they had a lot to think about.

Yang sighed, running fingers through her curly blond hair, not even bothering to notice how many knots she snagged along the way. Even after waking up, she was fine with ignoring her fellow teammates to lie in her bed and muse over the conversation she had the other night with the number one person she had been looking for her entire life.

 _"Mom…" the young Huntress-in-training said, almost not believing her own eyes. How many times had she imagined this moment, where she would finally find the mother that had abandoned her and her father. It was a fool's search, one she had almost given up on years ago. Now, here her mom was, standing there looking just like in the Team STRQ photos she had sneaked peeks at growing up. She thought she would be happy to see her again, but she wasn't. Not one bit._

 _"Yang," Raven stated, eyes glancing her over. "It's nice to see you have grown up into a fine young woman. I can see the family resemblance burning through you."_

 _Yang couldn't even reply. What could she say? How should she_ feel _? Shouldn't she be happy about their reunion? Or should she be curious as to why this occasion happened on such a night as tonight? A thousand different thoughts and emotions swarmed like Lancer Grimm in her mind, until one burning question broke forth._

 _"Why…?" she uttered, face cast down to hide the betrayal in her eyes._

 _"Hmm?"_

 _Yang threw up her head and looked straight into those blood-colored eyes. "Why did you leave?" she shouted, her emotion finally boiling over. Fire coursed through her veins as the anger of all of those years finally spilled forth._

 _Raven sighed, breaking the gaze. "I had to. You wouldn't understand."_

 _"Yeah. You're right. I don't understand," Yang scoffed, throwing her arms up in frustration. "How can I understand why you would just get up and leave me behind, leave_ us _behind? Tai was torn up about it, and he still is. Losing the two most important women in his life left him in a serious depression, even causing him to lash out at Uncle Qrow sometimes."_

 _"I'm not here to talk about the past, Yang," the older woman started, but the blonde was on a roll._

 _"Really? You're not here for that? Then why are you even here? Why show up after all of this time if it wasn't because of –"_

 _"I heard about what happened to your sister," Raven stated suddenly, catching Yang off guard._

 _"What about her?" Yang asked, interest peaked, anger tempering to a dull buzz._

 _Raven shifted her weight to rest her hand on the hilt of her sheathed sword. "I heard that she went missing during a mission your team went on last week. That she disappeared without a trace, with only the remnants of a mysterious, unrecorded Dust left behind."_

 _The Huntress-in-training jerked back almost as though she had been struck. "How do you know about that?" she inquired._

 _"I have my ways," Raven replied, a cold smirk decorating her face. "All you should understand is that I know what happened to your sister, and I know how to find her."_

 _The silence that reigned around them indicated for the older woman to clarify. "Your sister happened to fall victim to an ancient Dust crystal that had been believed to have gone extinct hundreds of years ago. This crystal had been known to open a portal to an alternate dimension; a swirling tempest that consumes everything in its wake and shows mercy to no one."_

 _Yang couldn't believe what she was hearing._ Ruby's in another dimension? How is that even possible? _she pondered. But, then again, how could she believe that what the woman in front of her was saying was the truth?_

 _The crimson-eyed woman sighed, noticing the younger girl's apprehension. She reached into the folds of her dress, the movement disturbing the beads decorating her neck. From her dress she extracted a small object and held it up for Yang to see. The moonlight glistened off of the slim item, causing it to emit an eerie reddish-black glow._

That's the same crystal Ozpin showed me, _the blonde realized, staring at the real-life version of the hologram she saw during her meeting in the Headmaster's office that afternoon. The mysterious 'Vulcan' Dust crystal that scorched the earth of that underground room with the same hellish colors being casted. Honestly, Yang probably should've cared more about how Raven was able to get ahold of a supposedly extinct Dust crystal. Right now, all that matter was that she now had a way to get her sister back, and nothing was going to stop her._

 _"Give it to me," she demanded, reaching out to snatch the crystal from her mother's gloved hand._

 _"I don't think so," the older woman said, tucking the crystal back into the safety of her clothes. She crossed her arms across her chest and regarded her daughter with a sharp gaze. "If you want this, you're going to have to earn it."_

 _Yang folded her arms in irritation, shifting her weight and tilting her chin up to gesture for her mother to continue, determined to listen to what she had to say._

 _"I am not the most popular person (Yang scoffed at that comment) and, as such, I have many enemies that would like nothing more than to try and tear me down. Recently, an unsavory group of individuals stole something crucial from me, and I want you to go and retrieve it for me."_

 _Before she could retort, Raven placed the mask back over her face, hiding away those crimson eyes. "If you want to be able to save your sister, meet me here tomorrow at midnight and I'll give you more information." With that, she spun around, whipped the sword out of its sheath and sliced the air. A reddish-black portal opened before her and the woman stepped through, not even bothering to glance back at the child she had left so long ago. Yang stood there and watched the portal close behind her mother, leaving her alone to stand under the pale moonlight._

"Yang…?"

The blonde broke out of the memory, turning to face a pair of worried, amber-colored eyes.

"Hey, Blake. What's up?"

Blake sighed, the concern look not leaving her face. The blonde noticed her hidden cat ears twitching, betraying her cover.

"I just wanted to say that I'm worried for you. We all are. It's been almost a week since the incident and yet you haven't once come and talk to us. We're your team, remember?" Blake finally said, her cat-like eyes trying to catch the attention of dull purple ones.

"I'm _fine_ , Blake," Yang curtly replied, not really wanting to get into _that_ conversation right now.

The raven-haired girl sighed, dejected. "I understand. I'll give you some space." She grabbed a book from the shelf and turned to leave. "Just know, I am your partner. So, if you do feel like talking, just know that I'll always be here to hear you out."

Yang watched as her friend slowly made her way to the door, pondering if she should ask her for advice on her dilemma. As of right now, Yang was torn between the betrayal of her mother from years ago and the lure of information that could get her one step closer to Ruby. _She may know the best way to approach this._

"Blake…"

The Fanus stopped in front of the door, turning to look at the blonde-haired girl sitting on the bunkbed with curious eyes.

"If you had the ability to find something you've been desperately searching for, but the only way to get it was to face someone from your past that you don't trust, would you still do it?" Yang asked, casting her gaze down to hide her emotions.

Silence reigned over the two for several minutes as Blake digested the question. Yang continued to stare down at the cover of her bed, anxious at the reply. What she didn't expect was her partner climbing up to join her on the bed, the mattress sagging from the extra weight. A hand was gingerly placed on her shoulder, and Yang forced herself to look up into amber eyes.

"If it were up to me, I would go for it," Blake answered honestly. "You may not like who you are dealing with, and you don't have to. Nothing says that you have to pretend to like them or forgive them for what they've done. Still, you should hear them out, because they may be the only way to get what you've been searching for. And, who knows? Maybe you can learn to accept that person for their faults and grow from it."

 _Maybe. Maybe not. This is my mom, we're talking about. Still…_

"Thank you, Blake," Yang whispered, pulling the girl into a tight embrace. The Fanus seemed unsure at first, but eventually gave in and hugged her back, just glad that she could help in some way.

The two stayed like that for several seconds before both pulled away, almost embarrassed. "Hey," Blake started, the first one to speak. "If you're up for it, I'm meeting up with Weiss and the others for lunch. Do you want to join us?"

Yang didn't really feel like hanging out with the others right now, but she didn't want to left alone in this room to silently keep worrying. "Sure," Yang finally answered, reluctantly accepting her lunch proposal.

Smiling, the two climbed down from the bunk and made their way to the dining hall. The entire way there, as the two made small talk to fill the time, Yang was slowly building up her resolve, her mind already made up.

Yang still had several hours to kill before her midnight rendezvous. So, after reluctantly having lunch with her team and team JNPR, she decided that a quick workout and one last visit to the library would be a good way to pass the time.

She began walking back to her dorm in order to change and grab her gauntlets, all the while trying to think about what she was going to say that night. Rounding the corner, she froze at the familiar figure standing in front of her dorm room.

The figure turned to face her, crimson eyes lighting up when they recognized her. _How ironic_ , Yang briefly thought, _how their eyes are similar, but how truly different they are._

"Hey there, Firecracker," Qrow said, smiling sadly at her. Yang could feel a swirl of emotions storm inside her as she barreled into him, wrapping the elder in a tight hug. Despite knowing that he was one of the Huntsmen on the team investigating her sister's disappearance, she hadn't physically seen him until now, corresponding solely through scroll messages.

"Whoa, easy there. I'm not as young as I used to be," the older man laughed, slowly detangling himself from the hold. He held the blonde out at arm's length, studying her face with concern. "Are you doing alright, kiddo?"

"Not really," she sighed. "It's just… hard sometimes to keep calm while knowing that Ruby's gone missing."

Qrow nodded, pulling her in for another, more comforting hug. "Look. It's fine to be worried. Hell, you have every right to be. Just because you're training to become a Huntress doesn't mean you have to lock your emotions away." He sighed, his voice slightly betraying his true feelings. "You're lucky enough to have people to lean on, kiddo. Not everyone can have that kind of support during hard times."

Sniffling, Yang pulled back and put on a rare, sincere smile. "Thanks, Uncle Qrow. Trust me, I'll do whatever it takes to get Ruby back. I can't afford lose another family member."

Smiling, Qrow patted her shoulder. "Don't sweat it, kiddo. The other teachers and myself are already doing everything in our powers to find her. So, you don't need to worry and rush off to do something incredibly dangerous. Let the pros take care of this."

"What can I possibly do, then? I can't just sit around and do nothing."

"I'm just saying that you don't need to worry. Relax. Keep attending classes. Spend time with your team. Just try not to do anything on your own."

A buzzing sound pulled their attention to Qrow's scroll, which he pulled out and began to skim. Huffing, he typed out a quick reply and shoved it back into his pocket. "Sorry, kid. I have to get going. Good old Oz wants to hold a group meeting to go over the latest developments in your sister's search, and I have to hurry if I don't want to get chewed out by Glynda."

 _Yeah. That's Miss Glynda, all right_ , Yang chuckled, head tucking in as her uncle playfully messed with her hair. As she watched him turn and start walking away, she didn't know what compelled her to ask him that question.

"What can you tell me about my mother?"

Qrow froze midstride, almost going rigged from surprise. Several beats passed, silence thickening around the two.

"Despite growing up with her, I still don't understand why she does the things she does. Her reasons are unclear and her actions, for the most part, only benefit herself. As such, she would never hesitate to twist her allies in the direction she wants, even if it leads them to despair," the older male finally said, running a hand through his greying locks. He sighed and twisted around to look at her, his face unreadable. "Don't trust anything she says."

"Catch you later, kiddo," he finished, continuing his trek to Professor Ozpin's office with hunched shoulders and tucked hands. Yang watched him as he left, and didn't dare move until he had completely disappeared.

X

This night was less mystical than the previous one, Yang noticed as she snuck her way back to the statue in the courtyard. The sudden arrival of dark clouds swirled above, blocking out the shattered moon and casting the night into further darkness.

Yang moved carefully, though with great urgency. She had to lie in her bed and wait for her fellow teammates to fall asleep before she even dared to creep out of the room. Unfortunately, Weiss decided that tonight was the night she needed to stay up a little longer to finish a writing assignment for Dr. Oobleck's class, delaying the blonde's departure.

Rushing through the night to find the only one who could possibly help her find her sister, Yang just hoped that she wasn't too late.

Finally, Yang was back where she was 24 hours prior, facing the same figure that, before yesterday, she had only seen in photos and her earliest memories. _As least she waited for me_ , the blond thought as the older woman removed her mask and turned to look at her with crimson eyes.

"Well?" Raven asked, causing the young Huntress-in-training to internally grimace. This woman had abandoned her, only bothering to return when she had something Yang desperately needed. Qrow even told her to not trust anything she says, that only despair would come as a result. However, if it meant getting her real family back, then Yang was willing to do whatever it takes.

 _For Ruby_.

"What do I have to do?"

X

 **And that's a wrap! Thank you to all who have favorited and followed the story so far,** **and I would like to give a shout out to UltimateAvengers for their comment on the last chapter** **. See you next time! :)**


	12. Chapter 11: A New Team

**Chapter 11: A New Team**

"Alright, everyone! Let's take a short break and we'll get right back to it."

Shouts and cheers resonated from across the lawn as a group of teens quickly made their way over to the nearby tables overflowing in fancy pastries and tea.

It has been three weeks since the incident at Hakusan Shrine and Teito Bank. It has also been three weeks since Ruby proposed the idea of training the other Host Club members to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. Now, on a bright and sunny Saturday, everyone was gathered in the backyard of the Suoh mansion for a training session.

When she had suggested the idea of training for the first time, Ruby had no idea it was going to get this big. They spent that entire Sunday after returning from the police station preparing a training regimen and deciding a location. Not before getting some much-needed sleep, of course.

 _"Before we begin, I will remind everyone that we must uphold our obligations as members of the Host Club. We cannot betray our duties to our guests," Kyoya said, glancing over his laptop to address the entire group. The Host Club was currently residing in the main study of the Suoh mansion, nibbling on a late lunch due to sleeping well into the afternoon._

 _"We can practice after club hours," Hikaru suggested, lounging with his brother on one of the divans._

 _"There's also the weekends," Karou added on. "We could even practice at one of our houses since there would be more space."_

 _Kyoya nodded. "That would be the best course of action. I wouldn't want to have to cover up any more property damages, now would I?" Ruby's face heated up in embarrassment at the slight jab._

 _Honey spoke up from one of the velvet-covered armchairs. "Mori and I also thought about teaching some self-defense, since Kyoya suggested it."_

 _Ruby considered his offer, watching the smaller male continue to attack his plate of cookies. On one hand, she didn't know how she could fit self-defense training in with their already packed schedules. But, on the other hand, they could all use the extra knowledge. Even herself. She couldn't help but remember the number of times she had been incapacitated during a fight due to losing her scythe._ Maybe having some knowledge on how to defend myself would be for the best, _she decided._ Plus, it would benefit the others.

 _"I think that's a great idea," the reaper finally agreed, causing the smaller blond to bounce off the chair and onto Mori in excitement._

 _"Ok, so we can have Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai teach us some martial arts, and Ruby will teach us how to use Remnant weapons," Haruhi began, scanning the room before settling down on the Huntress-in-training. "What about just the general skills, like how to shoot a gun or use a sword? It doesn't seem fair to burden Ruby with everything."_

 _Before Ruby could dismiss her concern, Kyoya answered. "I have already spoken with some of the trainers for my family's personal task force who have offered to share their expertise. I have also reached out to a local swordsmen organization to train basic blade skills. (Ruby wondered how far back he began making these plans) I believe that allowing professionals to train us on the proper use of firearms and weaponry would result in more proficiency and accuracy in the crafts."_

 _While Ruby wanted to protest, she realized that she wasn't exactly the best teacher for this kind of stuff. Hell, she wasn't even the best student, since she usually just did her own thing. Her style wouldn't work well for beginners. Also, they're limited in the amount of specialize weapons and Dust to the crates that she had arrived with, so letting them start with regular guns would be best. She voiced her support to the proposition, lying back to allow the idle chatter of the others to wash over her._

 _After another hour or two of back and forward, with interjections of crucial information from the seemingly all-knowing Kyoya and Ruby voicing her thoughts, the teens seemed to hack out a substantial training regimen. While the majority of time will still be committed to their active duties as Hosts, they planned on staying an extra hour to practice self-defense and basic martial arts with Honey and Mori before heading to one of the club member's homes to continue for another hour of target practice and swordsmanship, alternating each day. Saturdays would be dedicated to more intense outdoor training at the Suoh residence since there weren't any Hosting duties to do. The only days off were Fridays to commit more time to the club hours, and Sunday for a day of rest and catching up on homework._

 _With all of the finetuning out of the way, the members slowly departed the Suoh mansion, excitedly chatting about the upcoming week as they made their way to the limousine to take them all home. Ruby and Tamaki watched from the entranceway as their friends took off, waving at the sleek vehicle as it made its way down the extensive driveway and out the large iron gate._

 _"Well, my flower. It's about time we turn in ourselves. It seems we are going to need our rest," Tamaki said, turning to her and extending a hand. Taking it, Ruby followed the boy back into the mansion to prepare for the crazy week ahead._

And crazy it was, as the teens were quickly thrusted into the strange and high-paced world of Huntsmen training.

Every day after closing up shop, the Host Club quickly changed from their expensive school uniforms into comfortable workout clothes to begin an hour of grueling training. Honey and Mori were excellent coaches, taking time during their hour lessons to drill different strikes, stances, and kicks. While Honey was energetic and quick in his examples, Mori was meticulous in his, spending extra time with someone if they needed the help. However, Ruby quickly learned the difference between Nice Honey and Dark Honey.

 _"Holy crap," were the first wheezing words the reaper was able to choke out after being struck by the smaller blond their first lesson. The boy had asked for a quick sparring match with her to determine her current skill level, which ultimately resulted in her getting her butt handed to her. From her spot on the floor Ruby could hear the twins laughing in the background at her expense while Tamaki went off on Honey for not holding back._

 _Haruhi approached her and, extending an arm, helped the smaller girl back to her feet. "Well, Honey-senpai is a martial arts champion. He might've been going harder on you because you're a Huntress-in-training. Do you want him to go easier on you?"_

 _"No," Ruby said, her eyes hardening as her mind was made. "This just showed me that I need to get better if I'm going to be able to fight back without my scythe or Semblance."_

 _Looking over at the two blonds, she called out, "Knock it off, Uncle Tamaki. I need to learn and don't want Honey to hold back." Turning to face the smaller boy, she smiled. "Show me how you did that move. And don't stop until I get it."_

It took some time, but eventually she began to see major progress in her hand-to-hand combat skills. She knew a couple of crucial strikes and kicks, how to use her knees and elbows as weapons, and even a simple take down if she needs it. While she wasn't at the same level as her blond-haired sibling, she wasn't entirely useless without her beloved Crescent Rose now.

Along with everyone improving in self-defense from the martial arts duo, there has been steady progress in their skills using weaponry. The first couple of sessions were spent at the Ootori estate under the supervision of specialists called in from all over Japan to help train the Host Club. It began slow, spending these first few days going over safety and basics for both guns and swordsmanship, and light drilling with practice weapons that sometimes extended outside of the lessons (one of their Friday theme days was samurais and another was police officers).

For the last week and a half, the seven official members of the Host Club have graduated to using real ammo and swords (though lots of waivers and liability forms were filled out). Now, they have been spending their practices learning actual combat techniques, allowing Ruby to get a better idea of each of her friends' fighting styles.

With all of the progress everyone has made, Ruby decided that this would be the best time to bring out the big guns.

Ruby had taken the time to look through the crates and sort out the different custom weapons that she had found within them. The styles of the weapons varied in their wielder's preference, taking into consideration strength, speed, range, and dust use. As a Huntsman's weapon is supposed to be an extension of oneself, she wanted to make sure she got each person the correct weapon. As such, she spent three days examining the different weapons and trying to figure out which one each member of the Host Club should receive.

During practice today, Ruby called over everyone individually to hand over their designated weapon.

Honey and Mori were the easiest to select; the reaper had seen their skill during their first interaction. So, she had chosen weapons that would best complement them. For Honey, she picked a set of kunai throwing knives along with a sleek leather belt to hold all of the deadly blades. The blades allowed for quick, precise attacks, and the incorporation of Dust within the blade would allow for explosions upon contact. For Mori, the glaive was an obvious choice. Its wicked head, much like the throwing knives, was infused with Dust as well in order to give each powerful swing a boost.

The two were quick to pick up their new weapon's techniques, sparring with one another to get used to them. Not without the proper attire, of course, since all the teens were vulnerable without Aura. Therefore, they wore special garments designed by the twin's mother that act as a basic defense against the Dust crystals: fireproof, insulated, and temperature regulated. Not perfect, but close enough.

Despite her protests, Kyoya picked out his own weapon, justifying it as 'since he was the one keeping the crates in a safe location, then he can pick his own weapon from said crates.' The boy ended up selecting an umbrella that fired Dust shells and could withstand almost any attack while deployed. Plus, it was very stylish and sturdily built, allowing a gentleman like Kyoya to beat down baddies in style.

Next up were the twins. Despite being similar in many ways, their fighting styles varied. Hikaru was more of a reckless fighter, preferring head-on attacks and close quarters combat. Meanwhile, Karou was more tactical; he would more likely keep his distance and resort to long-range attacks. As such, Ruby had to pick weapons that, instead of being identical like she had first figured, catered to the twins individually. _If Hikaru was more skilled_ , she had thought while sorting through the weapons, _then I could give him these dual swords_. But she ended up selecting a simple sword design where the blade slides down to also function as a shotgun. For Karou, she picked a crossbow design with a quiver full of Dust-infused arrows, which can also shift into a sword in case he must fight short-range.

When she called Haruhi over, she didn't have a solid opinion on what the girl would be best suited for. Therefore, she wanted her opinion to help select the best weapon to use.

"Well," Haruhi hummed, thinking through her options. "I don't want anything overly complicated. Or anything too fancy looking. I know I go to a rich school and have rich friends, but I rather not look like I've completely converted."

Ruby laughed at Haruhi's on-running joke, while digging through the box to pull out a couple of options. "Sure thing. I noticed that you're better at close-proximity weaponry, but are still wary around sharp blades. And you have some strength behind your swing since you were able to knock the twins upside the head with a tea tray when we first met. However, a tea tray's not the best weapon for someone to use," she joked, grabbing a staff and handing it to the girl.

"Here, I think this will suit your style best. While a bo staff is traditionally 6 feet long, it would be best if yours is just a little taller than you. It's modified with Lightning Dust crystals to produce an electrical charge while activated by pressing this button here," Ruby described, pointing out the features for Haruhi to look over. "It's also collapsible by flicking this switch here, which allows it to shorten to a foot long that can be held in place by the belt strap."

Ruby handed over a simple leather belt with a strap for the bo staff, a pouch for extra Dust, and a knife sheath. The reaper pulled out a blade and held it out to the other girl, who was still stunned at the sudden accessories now attached around her waist.

"I'm also giving you a simple tanto knife in case you get in a pinch. It's incredibly durable so don't worry about it breaking."

Stunned, Haruhi thanked her and took the knife, sliding it into the sheath. Ruby hummed in approval, pleased that the girl was beginning to look the part of a proper Huntress. Now the only one left was…

"Ruby!"

The Huntress-in-training cringed slightly, slowly turning to see the older blond bound over to her as the rest of the Host Club resumed their exercises with their brand-new weapons. Weapons that Tamaki was now currently bouncing over to receive.

Crashing into the girl with a hug, Tamaki spun her around before settling her down. "Soo… It's my turn for a weapon, right? What has my adorable little niece picked out for me?"

Ruby froze under his excited gaze, because she honestly didn't have anything. Watching him over the past three weeks has opened her eyes to the fact that while his is very determined and willing, he doesn't have any of the foundation or skills needed to be a Huntsman. His aim is atrocious, and his blade work leaves something to be desired. Heck, even Jaune had some more skills when he first entered Beacon, and that's truly saying something. As it stands right now, Tamaki, the one who gave her the idea to begin all this craziness, is the least likely to become a Huntsman.

"Well…." Ruby trailed off, breaking contact with bright blue eyes to stare into the box of extremely dangerous weaponry. Spotting something, she reaches in and looks over it, nodding slightly to herself as her steels herself to face the blond.

"Because you're still refining your skills, I am going to give you a basic beginners gun," she explained, hoping to not crush the boy's spirit too much. After examining it closer, she handed to Tamaki. "It has Dust casings for more explosive shots, as well as a laser sight for better aiming. The recoil isn't too bad too, so that should help some. When we've worked a little more and polish up your skills, then we can think about advancing to a more complicated weapon."

Glancing over, Ruby saw the usually expressive boy emotionless, staring at the piece of deadly metal in his hands. She grew even more worried that she may have hurt his feelings somehow, but there was nothing else she could do at the moment.

As a short pause, Tamaki smiled, placing the weapon into the holster used for their practice weapons and gave her a quick hug. "Thank you, Ruby," he whispered, before ruffling her hair and heading out to rejoin the others.

She was surprised that it went better than she thought, but shrugged off her worries and moved back towards the others. With new weapons in hand, there was still much to do before they were truly ready to face the world as Huntsman, and she will make sure to help them however she can.

X

The good weather continued the following day, gracing the Ouran Host Club with wonderful conditions to spend their day off.

Ruby and Tamaki rode around in the limo for half an hour gathering their friends, though there was a slight delay due to the commotion the vehicle caused when they stopped to pick up Haruhi.

"Damn rich people, disturbing everyone so early in the morning…" the girl grumbled, with no real malice behind her words. Ruby just giggled before engaging in light conversation with the other occupants. She watched as the city sped by her, the limo weaving through the early morning traffic to their destination.

Fifteen minutes later and the eight individuals were exiting the limousine at the entrance way of Tokyo Dome City. Even though it was only 10 am on a Sunday, the place was already swarming with activity.

"Guess we're not the only ones spending the day off, huh?" Ruby joked, the others nodding in agreement.

Kyoya took charge, stepping forward to the address the assembled group. "Alright, everyone. Please take one of these wristbands," he said, holding out a bundle of silver wristbands. After putting hers on, Ruby couldn't help but examine the thing, thinking it looked more like a nice silver watch.

"These are special VIP wristbands for use within the amusement park, including free access and Fast Passes for most attractions and shows. Do make sure to keep them on; I would hate to have to replace them."

"Aye, aye, captain," everyone responded, giving him a mock salute.

Kyoya gave a small chuckle, his icy exterior melting slightly, before becoming more serious. "Please remember that today is for relaxing only. So, no going and purposefully picking any fights. If you do happen to spot anything suspicious, make sure to contact me so I can hand it off to the appropriate authorities."

Everyone nodded in response, despite the knowledge that their weapons were chilling in the limo parked just a bit away. Ruby knew that they weren't allowed to bring them into the amusement park, but was at least content knowing her beloved Crescent Rose was nearby in case she needed it.

With Kyoya satisfied, Tamaki led his merry band of misfits into the amusement park, almost bouncing in excitement. The group of teens spent the next several hours trying out everything the park had to offer, from rollercoasters to racecars. Ruby did feel bad for him, though, as the blond became so dizzy from the teacups that he crashed into Haruhi as soon as they got off, resulting in the club laughing as his face turned as red as a tomato in embarrassment.

At one point, Honey pointed out a stand selling masks, his arm swinging about in excitement.

"Hey, hey! Can we get matching masks? Hey, Mori? Let's get matching masks so we can be like superheroes," the boy exclaimed, almost vibrating off of Mori's shoulder in excitement.

It was hard to refuse such an energetic display, resulting in the group of eight all getting matching masks of the main character from a popular television show, Kamen Yaiba. While some preferred it chilling on the sides of their heads (or in Kyoya's case, in his bag), a couple of them (the blonds) opted to wear them, surprised to see that their field of view wasn't too severely cut down by the plastic masks.

Three hours after having free reins to the park, the group decided to stop for some lunch. With so many food options to treat their palates, the teens branched off into smaller groups with plans to reconvene at one of the larger tables. Soon, everyone was gathered back together with a wide variety of food and quickly dug in, allowing their time to be filled with great good and light conversation.

"Hey, Ruby. Is it true that you guys name your weapons in Remnant?" Karou asked, taking a sip from his iced coffee.

Pausing from devouring her third piece of strawberry shortcake, she nodded. "Because Huntsmen and Huntresses see their weapon as an extension of themselves, it's only fitting to give it a name."

"That's so cool!" Honey exclaimed. "How did you pick yours?"

"Huh, I guess I never really had any doubts what mine would be," Ruby said. "After creating my weapon at Signal Academy, I already had its name figured out."

"Let me guess," Hikaru said with a sly grin. "Because it's shaped like a crescent moon and your last name is Rose?"

"No…" Ruby pouted, slumping down to hide her blush, betraying her answer. The twins just laughed, the rest of the table joining into the playful banter.

"Well, I think it would be nice to have a name for ours," Tamaki proclaimed. "It will make us feel more like Huntsmen and Huntresses."

The others nodded, quickly brainstorming names and bouncing off one another with ideas. Ruby just sat back and finished her sweets, enjoying watching her friends for the time being.

And of course it had to be ruined.

"Agh!" Ruby yelled in surprise. Hikaru must've moved too quickly, because now Karou's drink was spilt all over her. She stared down at the iced coffee splattered across her outfit, soaking through the dark material of her skirt. _I just got this outfit, too. Just great_ , she grumbled.

"Oh man, Ruby. I'm sorry," Hikaru apologized, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. His twin whacked him upside the head, complaining about him being a 'complete and utter moron.'

A tap on her shoulder led her eyes to see Tamaki looking down at her with a small smile, extending his fancy handkerchief to the coffee-covered reaper. She was going to turn the gift down at first – she didn't want to stain the expensive-looking fabric – but the set look on his face left no room for argument. With a small thanks, she accepted the handkerchief and quickly began to clean herself up.

Handing back the now-dirtied handkerchief, the blond commented. "If you want, your school uniform is still in the limousine. You can go change and join back up with us when you're done."

The Huntress-in-training nodded, grateful that she could change into a new pair of clothes. She excused herself and made her way to where the limousine was idling nearby, not before hearing Tamaki chewing out the twin and stating that he would be paying for the dry cleaning.

Arriving at the parked vehicle, she grabbed her school uniform and took off to a nearby restroom. She discarded her current attire and slipped into the blue ensemble, electing to keep her weapon belt and signature hood since they weren't covered in Karou's drink. Slipping out of the restroom, she returned her clothes to the limo and was preparing to call Haruhi when two things happened simultaneously.

First: An explosion went off within Tokyo Dome City that knocked Ruby to the ground.

Second: Mingled in with the cacophony, the howls of Grimm filled the air.

Ruby quickly staggered to her feet, ears still ringing from the explosion. She watched as hundreds of people began to run from the center in fear, screaming and crying as the howls grew louder.

This was the worst-case scenario in Ruby's eyes. There were Grimm invading and only growing stronger by the fear of the crowd. With no other Huntsmen, it would be impossible to control the chaos now barreling down on them.

But she wasn't alone in the fight anymore.

Without thinking, Ruby reached into the limo and attached her scythe to her weapon belt before grabbing the box containing the rest of the Host Club's weapons. She knows that they've only had a day to practice using them and are no where near ready to face down such a daunting threat, but there was no other way.

Channeling her Semblance, Ruby shot off back into the City, weaving through the fleeing masses back into the amusement park to where she last saw her friends. Luckily, they were still at the table, staring down the hoard of Grimm coming down from all sides.

"Guys!" Ruby called out, catching their attention. They barely saw her as she dropped the box at their feet, pulled out Crescent Rose and shot off like a bolt to take down a couple of Beowolves closing in. Cleaving them in half, she recoiled and took down an Ursa nearby before stopping back at the group.

"Get your weapons on and brace yourselves. Right now, you are all Huntsmen and Huntresses!" the reaper ordered, setting the group off to quickly collect and assemble their weaponry. "The Grimm are easy to destroy if you nail them in their vitals, but make sure to aim at the exposed black flesh and not the bony parts. It's much easier to get a kill that way. If civilians are nearby, try to either move the Grimm away or have them move to a safer location. Please make sure not to hit anyone."

Just before taking off, she saw the masks discarded on the table. Quickly, she added. "Put on your mask. If this is Torchwick's work, and it most certainly is, it's important to protect your identities." And with that, she took off.

Her first step was to see just how many Grimm were actually there, so she used her Semblance to launch herself up to a higher advantage point. Landing on top of a building, she could clearly see around three dozen Grimm scattered about the city. She could also make out the Host Club, masked up, running about in small groups to help clear out the hoard. Ruby felt her chest swell up in pride at the sight.

She was just about to head down to join them when she spotted something strange out of the corner of her eye. Scratch that, it was _someone_ strange. A dark figure sat on top of one of the passenger cars at the peak of the Ferris wheel, watching over the chaos. Squinting, silver eyes widened when she made out the figure.

Hirofumi Matsuno.

She was off in a blur of roses before she even realized, rocketing towards the man with her scythe primed to attack. As she approached, she fired a shot for the extra propulsion, twirling in the air to a deadly tornado of oncoming steel.

Of course, Hirofumi was prepared, as he raised Ophiuchus and launched a wave of fire towards her.

She used another shell to send her over the firewall, the wind causing it to go out. One more shell sent her cantering down onto the man, who lifted his blade to intercept her. However, with her momentum and the help of gravity, the man was forced backwards, skidding along the roof and stopping just before the edge.

He quickly rose back to his feet, a wild grin on his face. "Hello, Red. It's nice to see you again. I hope you like our little present," he said, gesturing to the Grimm down below.

"Why is Torchwick doing this?" the reaper questioned, making sure to keep her nerves in check as to not give away her emotions.

"A test run of sorts," the ravenette replied, lazily tossing his weapon from one hand to another. "He wanted to get an idea of how the Grimm would be received in this kind of world. Which, in my opinion, can only be described as chaotic. If he decides to take these bad boys out for a night on the town, there would be no one to stop him."

"Well. Almost no one," he said, his expression turned sour as he looked down below. Ruby spared a glance to see that the Host Club members were slowly yet surely making progress on the Grimm, which has now been made easier that most of the civilians have fled. She could see red and blue lights speeding closer from the distance, signaling the calvary coming in to help.

"There was another reason why we did this," Hirofumi continued, throwing an arm out to the pandemonium.

"Really? And what's that?"

His malicious grin returned. "To draw you out, of course. Although, I didn't expect you to bring friends. Wonder what the boss will think when he hears this."

Ruby sprinted forward, scythe racing towards the man, who prepared to counteract. They began to duel it out on the roof, always a slight judgement error away from plummeting to the ground. Steel scraped against steel, fire and ice being shot and repelled, a rematch much more fearsome than their first encounter.

As Ruby sent off another shot, she happened to look at the nearby passenger car, silver eyes widening to see two terrified figures hunched inside watching them.

 _Crap, there are still people on the Ferris wheel_ , she realized. With the chaos starting so suddenly, she forgot that people haven't had the chance to exit the attraction. Meaning that there were still a lot of civilians that can quickly turn into casualties. She had to move the fight off the Ferris wheel somehow without alerting him, and she also needed a strategy to beat him.

She just needed something to distract him.

A flash of silver grabbed her attention, and she glanced down at her arm to see the wristband poking out from under her blazer sleeve. _It's just her VIP wristband_ , she remembered, but a thought struck her. _Hirofumi didn't know what it was_. A plan quickly began to formulate in her mind, she just hoped she was good enough at acting so he wouldn't call her bluff.

Lifting her arm to her face, she shouted in the wristband while keeping an eye on her opponent as to not him have a chance to attack. "Kyoya! I'm engaging Hirofumi near the Ferris wheel and need backup. Hurry over as fast as you can!"

Hirofumi rushed forward, khopesh slicing through the air and ablaze with fire. Whipping up her scythe, she quickly counteracted the attack and sprung back. Unfortunately, her foot slipped on the edge of the roof and she fell off, tumbling towards the ground.

Forcing herself to stay calm, she summoned her Semblance and shot off. Thanking her time having to deploy quick landing strategies, she used Crescent Rose to pogo her way to the ground, landing near the racetrack.

She looked up just in time to see a wave of ice barreling down at her, training and instinct causing her to dive to the side to avoid it. Hirofumi slid down the ice, his khopesh cutting through the ice to keep him stable and slow his descent.

Leaping up, the man flipped and clashed his weapon against Ruby's raised one, resuming their fight now on the floor and no risk of falling.

As their fight continued, Ruby could hear the howling of the Grimm become fewer and less frequent. Hopefully that means that the others have taken care of them, Ruby thought. She could also hear the sirens much closer now, meaning that if she wanted to beat Hirofumi, and possibly get more information about Torchwick from him, she needed to do something quick.

With her preparations in place, Ruby made her move.

"Now, Kyoya!" Ruby shouted, purposefully moving her head to look behind the man in hopes her gamble pays off. It does, since Hirofumi twirls around, swooping his weapon in an arc that results in a deadly arc of ice crystals to fly out and make contact with nothing but thin air.

Confused, the man hesitated ever so slightly, but it was enough.

Ruby shot forward in a flurry of rose petals, adjusting midair to raise her leg for a flying kick. Thankfully, her time drilling with Honey and Mori pay off, as she lands a square kick into Hirofumi's chest that sends him flying backwards and sprawling to the ground. Securing Crescent Rose to her hip, she sped forward once more and tackled him at the knees for a double leg takedown before he had a chance to properly recover.

Snapping out her scythe, she pinned him down by the neck, making sure to keep her weight on her legs in order to keep him pinned.

"Now, tell me. Where is Torchwick?" Ruby ordered, staring down the man, her silver eyes becoming as cold as steel.

"I ain't no snitch, bitch," Hirofumi snarled, unperturbed by the weapon pressing down on his neck. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, painting his face a horrifying color as he continued to give his signature smile. "Trust me, though. After all of this, be sure to expect a visit from him soon."

"Ruby!"

Her head snapped up to see Tamaki running towards her, mask still on and gun still in hand. As he was running, she could see a large Ursa, twice as large as the one she killed earlier, sprinting after him. It would take a lot of rounds to take down something that size, Ruby thought.

She watched with trepidation as Tamaki aimed behind him and fired off a shot, the bullet hitting and exploding on the Ursa's side. A couple more shots made contact with the beast but all it seemed to do was make it angrier, letting out a mighty roar as it sped up.

Just as the blond was lining up another shot, a banana peel suddenly appeared, causing Tamaki to slip and crash to the ground, his weapon skidding away.

Ruby was torn between wanting to go help her friend and keep Hirofumi pinned, but her loyalty and protective nature for her friends won out.

"Next time, you won't be getting away," Ruby said, before standing up and speeding off towards her fallen comrade.

She slid in front of Tamaki just as the Ursa swiped a large clawed paw downward, blocking the attack with her scythe. Pushing it back, she swung her blade, burying it deep into the beast's side. It howled, enraged, swiping another paw that she dodged. Grabbing hold, she fired off a round and spun, using the recoil to rocket the blade straight through the Grimm and cleave it in half.

As the Grimm faded into dust, she reattached Crescent Rose and looked back to where Hirofumi was laying, only to find the spot empty. A quick survey of her surroundings yielded no sightings as well, meaning that the Lieutenant had once again gotten away.

Sighing, she extended a hand to the downed Host. "Need a hand, Uncle Tamaki?"

She was awarded a small chuckle as he took it and stood up. She couldn't see his face, but judging from his balled fists, he was either angry or embarrassed. Maybe both.

"I'm sorry," the teen said. "I couldn't kill the Grimm. I couldn't kill anything, and caused Hirofumi to get away again."

Ruby, having retrieved his fallen gun, gave his shoulder a quick pat and placed the weapon back in its holster. "It's fine. The sly fox probably would've found a way to escape, anyway. Not much we can do now," she shrugged.

"Ruby. Tamaki-senpai," a voice called out. The two turned to see Haruhi, masked up and staff in hand, making her way towards them. "The police are here and it seems that they aren't happy. We're being rounded up for questioning."

Sighing, Ruby takes the extra mask hanging from Haruhi's belt and puts in on. This was going to take a while.

X

"Earlier today, a fearsome collection of ravenous creatures terrorizing Tokyo Dome were taken down by an unknown group of vigilantes. Eye-witness reports that these masked individuals fought using strange, cosplay-like weapons. While the remnants of these creatures are nowhere to be found, police were on the scene to speak to the vigilantes. No statement has been released as of yet. Onto to other news…"

A loud crash and the sound of angry voices from behind him briefly pulled the man's attention away from the news broadcast. He watched with disinterest as his underlings squabbled among themselves, making no move to walk over and lecture them. Surely, such incompetent individuals can sort out how to properly function without his assistance. Even if they can't, he has people to take care of the mess and others to take their place.

No. He had more important matters at hand. He muted the TV, which was currently speaking about the progress Teito Bank has gone through since being robbed three weeks ago, and rewound it back to the story on Tokyo Dome. He couldn't care less about the monsters that had swarmed the tourist attraction, since he had ordered their release himself. No, he was more interested in the singular shot that had all of the 'masked vigilantes' together.

Eight people total, majority seeming to be male, the man noted. While not all of the 'cosplay-like weapons' can be seen, only the most important one was visible. A fully functional scythe, folded up and tucked under a red hood worn by the only female in the group. A female that was on the smaller side, wearing a black-and-blue ensemble that bore an insignia that was easily recognizable.

Despite the mask to hide her identity, the man smiled at the screen.

"Little red, little red…" Roman Torchwick chuckled, a plan beginning to bloom in his mind. "The game is about to begin."

X

 **And that's a wrap! Man, it's been a while, huh? But surprise, mates! I live! Thank you to all who have favorited and followed the story so far, and I want to give a special shout out to darkvampirekisses, ForeverummerSnows, Guest (whoever you are), and ShinyKyu for the comments since the last chapter. See you next time! :)**


	13. Chapter 12: A New Conflict

**Chapter 12: A New Conflict**

Ruby was worried.

It's been four days since the attack on Tokyo Dome City, the zone still shut down to repair the damages sustained from their battle against the forces of Grimm. Shortly after the fight was over, with the last of the Grimm being cleared out by the Host Club and the help of the police, the teens were all rounded up to speak to the officers on sight about the events that just finished. Ruby decided to keep Hirofumi's involvement a secret, as not to let it slip about her connection to the attack. But it still tipped off Inspector Shiratori, who happened to be present for the questioning and quickly recognized Ruby despite the cartoonish mask covering her face.

Once again, the Ootori family pulled through after hours of negotiations and back and forth to get the teens out of serious trouble. Because of Ruby's foresight to wear the masks, the teens cannot be charged on their real identities, meaning that they didn't have to run the risk of this staining their records and possibly losing their place at Ouran Academy. In terms of the weaponry, all of the teens were licensed due to taking lessons from professionals and the weapons weren't on their person before the event according to security cameras at the entrance of the amusement park. Unfortunately for the police, the cameras were damaged after the explosions, making them unable to see proof of the Grimm other than through verbal retellings and shaky phone camera shootings. As such, they were labelled with _seitōbōei_ _as they were primarily focused on self-defense against the attacking creatures and helping civilians to safety. As a result, the teens were not charged with criminal charges or vigilantism and were released without further incident._

 _"You're turning into a more complicated case than I thought, Miss Rose," Inspector Shiratori stated as they began to leave. "I don't know how you knew about these monsters or how to take them down, but I know that you're connected to both this and the Teito Bank heist in some way, and I will find out how. I guarantee it."_

No, Ruby was worried about something else entirely.

She watched from the back porch as the Host Club continued their training at the Souh mansion. Ever since the Battle of Tokyo Dome (as they were calling it), the teens have thrown themselves more into their training, even going as far as to wearing their masks to better learn how to fight with them. Everyone was advancing their skills ever so slightly, working hard to master the weapons they have also so lovingly named.

Kyoya was calmly swatting away his trainer's attacks with his umbrella, Serenity, while Haruhi engaged hers nearby, Logical Ruse seemingly becoming more comfortable in her hands. To switch things up a bit, a 2 v. 2 skirmish was being waged further out on the lawn: Hikaru and Honey facing off against Karou and Mori. Mori sliced his glaive (Paladin Bolt) through the air, knocking out several incoming kunai knifes (Rabbit's Foot). With Honey's projectiles rendered ineffective, Karou releases his own arrows from his crossbow (Sanguine Reign), now able to successfully shoot 3 arrows in 15 seconds. Hikaru knocked them aside and rushed forward with his sword (Discord) only to be met with his twin's weapon's sword form. The two siblings clashed as Honey swooped in from behind them to retrieve the fallen knives and rush forward to face down Mori.

And then, standing separated from the others, there was Tamaki.

The blond has been isolating himself during training for the last few days, only interacting with his trainer and engaging when necessary. While he hasn't been slacking in his Host Club duties, continuing to act the ever-charismatic gentleman, he has grown quieter and less energetic outside of the music room. Even the others have noted Tamaki's dimmed spirit, with all of them expressing their concerns in one way or another. Tamaki always tries to play off their worries, giving his usual smile, but even Ruby can tell that it was fake.

 _He's been like this ever since leaving Tokyo Dome on Sunday_ , Ruby thought, remembering the quiet ride back to the mansion that night. After they have arrived home, Tamaki immediately retired to his room, citing exhaustion as he left her standing alone in the main foyer.

A cry of frustration cut Ruby's musings short, turning her attention to the taller blond. His weapon (which he reluctantly called Rosebud after Hikaru kept bugging him for a name) was discarded on the grass next to his feet, which were tapping nervously. She was too far to see his face, but the way he was squeezing his hands made her get up from her spot and quickly make her way across the lawn towards him.

"You ok, Uncle Tamaki?"

Tamaki looked up at her, not letting go of his hands. He gave her a bright smile that would've fooled her if she hadn't been living with him for a month. "Quite fine, my flower. Just let my guard down a bit and had a little trouble with the recoil. Nothing too serious for you to worry your pretty little head over."

"Alright…" Ruby said, still skeptical about his response but leaving it at that. "Hey, I can help you with your aim, if you want."

"No, it's fine. I got it," Tamaki responded a little too quickly, waving his hands about to reject her offer. "I think the others could use some help though. I'll let you know if I need anything." Tamaki gave her another bright smile, picked up Rosebud, and returned to the firing line to speak with his trainer.

She watched the two interacting for several minutes, wanting to go over and ask Tamaki what was wrong. But now wasn't the time. _Hopefully I can talk to him soon_ , Ruby thought, before turning away from her object of concern to help her fellow Hosts.

X

It was after practice had ended and everyone went home for the day when Ruby got her chance.

The two teens left at the Suoh estate were currently situated in the dining hall, enjoying a lavish feast to refuel from another gruelling day of training. Servers moved in and out, replacing plates and dishes with more filled with steaming food to enjoy. The only other person dining with them was the Chief of Staff, Miss Shima, as Tamaki's father was out on business.

They were about three courses in when Ruby decided it was time. "Uncle Tamaki?"

"Hmm?" Tamaki hummed, looking up from his meal to address her.

"Are you doing okay?"

Pausing from his food, Tamaki replied. "Sure I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Bracing herself, Ruby jumped right into it. "It's just that, since Sunday at Tokyo Dome, you haven't really been yourself."

"I can assure you, I am quite fine. Probably just tired from the training, that's all," Tamaki dismissed, waving his hand nonchalantly.

"But that's just it," Ruby said. "Outside of Host Club duties, you haven't really been yourself. You seem to think smiling will cover up how you're truly feeling, but I can see it. The entire Host Club can see it. And we're all worried for you."

"There's nothing wrong, Ruby," Tamaki said, curling his hand into a ball.

"But there is," Ruby pushed. "Something happened at Tokyo Dome that started all of this, and I just want to help. But I can't if you don't tell me."

"Fine!" Tamaki explodes, slamming a fist on the table that rattled the silver wear that sent Ruby into a state of shock of the sudden emotion. "Ok. Yes, you're right. I am frustrated about what happened at Tokyo Dome. While my friends fought off those monsters, I was almost killed by one. The only reason I'm fine is because you had to step in and save me, resulting in Hirofumi getting away. I'm frustrated because while everyone else is moving forward and getting better, I feel like I'm not progressing at all. I know I have the worst aim out of everyone, and the worst swordsmanship, but I still want to help. And I can't, and it never feels like I ever will and I'll never be enough."

Blue eyes stared up at her, tears prickling at the edges. "What kind of gentleman am I if I can't step up and protect the people I care about?"

"Tamaki," Ruby began, trying to calm the blond down. "I know you're frustrated right now, but I can assure you, it will get better. It takes time before anyone can become good enough at something. Some people are just slower at it than others, and that's okay."

"Some people," Tamaki repeated, an edge to his tone that made Miss Shima raise a brow.

"I know you're behind everyone right now. And I will admit I did give you Rosebud because I felt that where you are right now isn't as far along as the others for a more complicated weapon. But that doesn't mean you aren't capable of getting there. It's just that where you are right now isn't up to Huntsman standards," Ruby said.

"Really? And suddenly everyone else in the club is more of a Huntsman than I am?" Tamaki spat, his eyes going sharp.

"No! Not at all," the reaper quickly backpedaled, thrown by the blond's tone. "I didn't mean it in a bad way, Tamaki. I just mean that you'll get there some day, but it will take some time."

"And how much time did it take for you to become a Huntress, _Miss Rose_?"

"Master Tamaki!" Miss Shima hissed, giving the boy a pointed look. "That's enough." Silence filled the room, no one seeming to be daring enough to make the first move.

"I'm sorry," Tamaki said, covering his face with his hand before running it through his hair. Several beats later, he apologized once more and dismissed himself from the table, stalking out of the dining hall. Ruby stared after him, her silver eyes watching him worriedly all the way until the double doors fell shut.

X

The bell tower chimed the 3 o'clock hour, signaling the start of another day for the Host Club.

Ruby sat at an ornate table amidst a candy paradise, the Music Room having been transformed into a Willy Wonka-themed wonderland for the theme that week. The room looked like something from a dream, with candy everywhere and a chocolate fountain as the centrepiece. Though she was dressed for the occasion in a lollipop-inspired Lolita dress and matching hairpiece, she opted out of participating in the activities for the day, content with watching everyone while munching on some sweets. She had a lot to chew over, both figuratively and metaphorically.

Her conversation last night with Tamaki still resinated in her mind, and it bothered her more than it should've. She understood where Tamaki was coming from, she truly did. However, she couldn't deny the fact that, out of all of the other Hosts, he was the most inept and liable to hurt himself in combat. And it wasn't like he wasn't trying. He's been training just as hard, if not harder, than his fellow Hosts to improve himself. Still, it wasn't enough, and that's what's frustrating.

Sighing, the reaper stopped her musing and went back to people watching, soaking in the energetic atmosphere. Much like her, majority of the Hosts were wearing candy-themed outfits and entertaining their guests with fun childlike games.

Tamaki, back to his ever-charming self, was dressed for the occasion as the legendary fictional character himself: Willy Wonka. Despite the absurdity of the character's color scheme, from the purple tailcoat opened to expose a yellow vest and exaggerated red-and-white polka dot bowtie to the green dress pants and pointed black dress shoes, Tamaki pulled the outfit together nicely. Leaning against his ornate walking cane, he enthralled his audience with a tale of traveling the world to find the finest sweet delicacies, even telling the story of a palace completely constructed of chocolate in India.

"Hey Tamaki," one of the girls asked once the story was finished. "Could you perform for us?"

Tamaki laughed, adjusting his bowtie. "Why, my sweet. I don't know if I should. I have been told my voice it so sweet it could give you cavities."

"Please?!" the girls chorused, drawing the attention from the nearby tables. Soon, a small crowd gathered around the blond, encouraging him to sing for them. The other Hosts even joined in, eager to see their king in action.

"Well, then. If you insist," Tamaki chuckled, giving a slight bow and dipping his top hat. Curious, Ruby moved in closer to watch. Music suddenly poured in all around them, a soft chiming sound that made the air around them more magical.

"Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination~," Tamaki began, his voice lifting into the air. Everyone was entranced, watching Tamaki slowly stroll to the side and, hooking his cane around a tree, swung himself around before giving his audience a smile. He carefully moved about, his footsteps light and bouncy to allow for quick movements. All eyes were locked onto the brightly-cladded blond as he danced and sang around them in the candy wonderland, interacting with his environment with his cane. Taking a break from singing, he gave a quick dance with his cane, twisting and spinning it around with the grace of a baton twirler. All the while, he smiled and interacted with his observers, causing a few girls to faint at the teen's grace.

As the song came to a close, Tamaki spun and jumped his way back to the group before pausing and, lifting his cane levelled with the girl who had requested the performance, pretended to fire at the girl with a smirk on his face. The lady practically swooned under the blond's gaze, and the group broke into applause as Tamaki took a bow, top hat and cane in hand.

Ruby stared on in amazement before suddenly being stricken with a realization. Pulling out her phone, she quickly shot off a question to Kyoya about their supplies and inquiring about one specific item in particular. She believed she saw something in the crates the first time she went through them when picking out the Hosts' weapons, but had discarded it with no intention of utilizing it. Now, however, she might want to reconsider.

Glancing up, she caught the ravenette's eyes watching her over the edge of his notepad. Giving her a slight nod, he moved to the side to find the answer for her. Until then, Ruby wandered from group to group, spending the rest of the club time no longer bothered about her previous worries.

It wasn't until later that day, long after cleaning up and heading home, that Ruby got a message from Kyoya confirming that she was correct. Giddy, Ruby settled in for the night, already ready for tomorrow.

X

Once again, the gang was gathered for another long training day in the backyard of the Suoh residence. Ruby could barely wait through the regular stretching warmup and Honey's and Mori's lessons, practically vibrating in excitement for what was to come.

When it was time to split up for weapon training, Ruby sprinted over to Tamaki so fast she unconsciously activated her Semblance, resulting in her crashing into the blond and sending both of them sprawling.

"Uncle Tamaki!" the smaller teen shouted, quickly helping the confused and slightly dazed blond to his feet. "I have something for you. Come with me."

Still confused, Tamaki followed behind the reaper, moving over to the firing range where a small ornate box laid in wait for them. Ruby had specifically asked for the item to be wrapped in a certain way in order to not give away the surprise.

"Well?" Ruby asked, noticing the teen hadn't made a move. "Open it!"

She stood there bouncing on the balls of her feet as he slowly unwrapped the box. Once the lid of removed, his jaw dropped and his blue eyes widened in shock, hands hovering above the item inside.

"First off, I want to apologize," Ruby began. "When I was assigning everyone's weapons, I took into consideration their skills and, noticing that you were having a harder time than everyone else, I wasn't exactly being fair. You've been so determined to succeed and what you've been handling so far hasn't made the best use of what skills you do have. What I noticed is that it's not that you're bad at handling weapons, but that you're bad at handling _weapons_. You still see them as dangerous and, thus, have been apprehensive in your approach. So, if you were given something not necessarily a _weapon_ , then maybe you'll be more comfortable and begin seeing more progress."

As Tamaki pulled out the item, Ruby continued, keeping a close eye on his reaction. "The hallmark of a Huntsman is that their weapon is an extension of oneself. And I believe this suits you much more."

In his hands was a cane, but not just any cane. It was an almost exact replica of Roman Torchwick's weapon of choice, from the sleek black body to the thick red base devoid of his symbol. The white hooked top still had the firing mechanisms that correlate with the reticle at the base for aiming and a sliding segment a little further down for Dust loading. When she had first seen it in the crates, she had dismissed it as a villain's weapon, probably created to be a replacement or an upgrade for the man's current model. She made sure to point that out to the blond so he was aware, but made sure not to discourage him.

"It's not the weapon that makes the man, but the hands of the one wielding it that determines whether it is an instrument for helping or harming others. We can repaint and adjust it to allow for more customization, but that's entirely up to you."

Tamaki nodded, looking over the weapon as Ruby went over the different pieces and how to use them. She was just getting ready to move on when he quickly swung the cane up, popped up the reticle and, with a quick moment to line it up, fire off a shot. He still yelped slightly at the recoil, but didn't drop it this time. The projectile flew forward and slammed into one of the set-up targets, engulfing it in a quick explosion. This caught the attention of the others on the lawn, everyone pausing to watch the two. Once the dust settled, Ruby could see that while, although not dead center, the shot still was on target. Progress, if only a little, but progress nonetheless.

Resetting the safety switch and lowering the cane, Tamaki slowly turned back to face Ruby. She was worried he might be scared at first, but was suddenly caught off when he set his cane back on the table and crashed into her, tackling her in a hug.

"Thank you, Ruby," he whispered, genuine happiness filling his words. They helped each other up and returned their attention to the cane on the table.

"Amaterasu."

"What was that?"

Tamaki turned towards her, cane in hand. "Amaterasu. The Goddess of the sun and the universe. As the sun rises on new horizons, it allows for new beginnings. That's the name of my cane."

Ruby nodded. "It's a wonderful name," she commented. "We'll make sure to paint it accordingly."

"Ruby, I…" Tamaki started, shuffling in place and nervously wringing his hands together. "Ruby, I am so sorry about how I spoke to you the other night. I had no right to speak to you in such a way, and will strive to communicate my concerns in a healthier, more appropriate manner. Could you ever forgive me?"

"I forgive you," Ruby said, a small smile on her face. She stepped forward and took his hand, pulling him down so they were crouched, silver eyes staring into blue. "You don't have to be perfect, Tamaki. There's no such thing. And you don't have to be a true Huntsman yet. You have time to improve. Grow. Become the type of person you want to become. We're all walking the same path you are, and we'll all get there one day. So, let's keep moving forward and try our best. We'll get there one day, and we'll be by your side the entire way."

Tamaki nodded, giving her a quick hug before walking over to the others, no longer isolating himself in fear and frustration. He's ready to move on and work with others, to become a Huntsman in his own rights.

Smiling, Ruby pulls out Crescent Rose and heads over to join the Host Club, ready to spend more time with her new team to become the best Huntsmen and Huntresses they can be.

X

 **And that's a wrap! A special thank you to my friend (will get handle later) for beta-ing for me this chapter. Thank you to all who have favorited and followed the story so far, and I want to give a special shout out to ranjira1988 for the comments since the last chapter. See you next time! :)**


	14. Chapter 13: A New Covert Operation

**Chapter 13: A New Covert Operation**

"You… want me to get back your mask?" Yang asked, dubious of her mother's mission. Of all the 'favors' Raven could've asked Yang to do, of all the items the group could've stolen, she didn't think it would be simply retrieving a mask. She gestured at the red-and-white mask in Raven's hands in confusion. "Don't you already have one?"

"This mask is only temporary. A precaution prepared just in case something like this were to happen," Raven corrected her, using that mother-scolding-her-child voice that irritated the blonde slightly.

Placing the mask at the base of the statue, Raven sat down next to it and gestured for Yang to do the same. She does so, reluctantly, watching crimson eyes carefully as Raven began relying the information.

"As I said, there are many people who want nothing more than to clip my wings and send me hurtling down. I've usually done a fairly good job evading, diffusing and, if necessary, fighting my way through any situation. Unfortunately, one week ago, a traveling band of thieves and low-lives snuck their way into my tribe's camp in the dead of night while everyone was asleep. As chief I usually have guards stationed outside my tent but they, along with the guards on perimeter duty that night, happened to enjoy one too many drinks, which allowed them to slip in and out undetected."

This shocked Yang quite a bit. She hardly knew anything about her mother except for the fleeting mentions of her from her dad and Uncle Qrow. And, now that she thought about it, she didn't know much about Qrow's background before he joined Beacon Academy. If what she says is true, then were the two of them a part of this tribe growing up, or did Raven break away from her team to form her own group of loyalists? Just how much has her uncle been hiding from her all this time? Did her father know about this? Yang didn't know what to think anymore.

Sensing her confusion, Raven decided to be a little merciful. "Yes. In case you were wondering, Qrow and I grew up together in the tribe before being sent to Beacon Academy for reasons I won't say right now. I guess my dear brother hasn't told you this huh? He's been ashamed of our lineage since heading to Beacon and has not once bothered to come home for a visit," Raven said with a sly smile.

Purple eyes flared red for a second, a mark of Yang's temper going unchecked before being smothered. As upset as she was with this new revelation, and the fact Raven continues to hold information back, she needed to focus on the goal: getting her sister back.

"It wasn't until morning that we realized we got hit, with a lot of supplies and extra ammunition having seemingly disappeared overnight. And it wasn't until I checked my desk and noticed my mask gone that I realized who it was that attacked us."

Reaching into her dress folds, she removed a small slip of paper and placed it in the empty space between the two women. Red eyes watched carefully as Yang slowly reached over and grabbed the slip, bringing it closer for inspection. There were no words or numbers on it, only the symbol of what looked like an owl in flight, talons outstretched.

"A mark quite well known in the circles I travel," Raven continued, still watching the blonde. "They're called The Parliament, despite their lawless nature. A ruthless collection of scum, some of the lowest individuals society has to offer, with a leader that can instill enough subordination to keep control of their ranks. They travel constantly, never stopping for more than a few days at a time. While they normally do raids on smaller towns with less defenses, they tend to stick to the outskirts of larger cities, tucked away in whatever natural barriers are provided. The only way to truly know if you've interacted with them in any way is by their calling card left at the scene, almost as though challenging anyone to try and fight back."

"Sounds like a fun crowd," Yang deadpanned.

"Truly. And according to my sources, the group has pitched camp nearby recently, probably to rest from the constant traveling to get some distance between them and my tribe. I want you to go, find the camp, collect my mask, and return it to me."

"Wait a minute," Yang said, finally understanding the task at hand. "Why do I have to go and get it? And if you know where the camp is, then why not tell me?"

Crimson eyes twitched in exasperation before the woman sighed. "Two reasons. Reason number one is because if I or one of my men went and attacked the tribe, then we would be dragged into a war that, in our current state, we would most certainly lose. You going would make them believe you're just a Huntress assigned to clear them out and therefore have no association to me. And reason number two is that you need to prove yourself worthy of my trust. If I give you too much information then you'll never learn and grow. So, consider this a 'warm-up' to being a true Huntress."

Grabbing the mask, Raven stood back up and placed it back over her face. "One week."

"Huh?" Yang asked.

"You have one week to get this done. I'll be here waiting at our usual time whether you have it or not, but know that the fate of your sister lies in your success. I really do hope you prove yourself, Yang."

Before Yang could argue about not having enough time, Raven slashed open a portal and stepped through, leaving Yang alone to face the daunting task ahead.

X

And it has not been an easy week. With the limited information squeezed from her mother, Yang didn't have many places to start looking. A tribe on the move would be difficult to keep track of, especially one that moved through the different kingdoms constantly. The only place she could start was with the symbol and name of the tribe, and she truly hoped it was enough. Library searches gave her some information to build on, especially one source stating the name of the leader being Tawny Rees, but it was by pure luck that she found out The Parliament's current location.

 _Yang trudged her way back from the library, a cup of coffee death-gripped in her hand. There were only three days left before Raven's deadline, and the blonde has officially entered stress mode. Her teammates and friends have become even more confused, noticing her feverish researching and running around looking for information within the last few days. Jaune, the brave and naïve boy, decided to ask Yang what she was looking up one day in the library, but made the mistake of coming from behind and not announcing his presence until he was next to her. Panicked for being discovered, Yang grabbed the blonde and flipped him over her head, sending him flying across the room to crash into a pillar. Stunned, she realized what had happened and apologized profusely, stating that she was exhausted and he scared her. Jaune was nice enough to say it was no big deal, but everyone has been keeping their eyes on her more as a result._

 _She was preparing to round the corner when she heard voices coming towards her. It was after curfew again and Yang didn't feel like explaining herself to whoever the voices belonged to, opting to hide behind a pillar instead. Purple eyes watched as Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck came into view, too engrossed in their conversation to notice the hiding blonde._

" _And then I pulled out Blowhard and blasted the Grimm away, protecting my students and earning a new taxidermy Ursa head to add to my collection.," Professor Port exclaimed, wildly gesturing for emphasis. "While the Grimm were certainly no match for my sheer power, there were quite too many for the second-years to handle by themselves. I have no idea why there were so many to begin with; Forever Falls is never that active."_

 _Dr. Oobleck gave a short laugh at his colleague before his voice turned serious. "If I heard correctly, it's because of the sudden appearance of The Parliament within Forever Falls' clearing just outside the commercial district. All that negativity is causing the increase of Grimm within the forest."_

 _Port almost chocked on air at his coworker's nonchalant answer. "The Parliament's in Vale?! And so close to the campus as well. Why in Oum is that collection of low-lives in our kingdom this time?"_

" _I'm not one hundred percent sure, but considering they've been camped there for almost a week now, they've probably been traveling too much since last I've heard they were in Mistrial," Oobleck replied, sipping from his flask._

" _And why isn't Ozpin doing something about them?" Port questioned, his mustache twitching in irritation. "We all know their reputation."_

" _True, they're an unruly bunch of degenerates," Oobleck agreed. "But since they've haven't actively attacked any civilians and even helped clear some of the new Grimm out of the forest, all we can do right now is watch and be ready to act appropriately."_

 _Port gave a huff as the two rounded another corner, their voices fading away as they walked further away from where Yang had been hiding. She didn't dare move from her spot until several minutes after the two teachers' voices have disappeared, quickly making her way back to her room with more information than the last four days of research have yielded._

That bit of information was exactly what she needed in order to not only find where the tribe was camping, but also the path to get there from the commercial district without alerting them of her presence. Yang smiled to herself as she finished finalizing her plan for that night, putting the coordinates into her scroll and making sure she had extra ammo because she knew for a fact that she wasn't getting out of there without a fight.

"And where are you going tonight?"

Yang startled, almost dropping the bag. Gripping the straps, she whirled around to see Weiss and Blake watching her with curious eyes, the former crossed-armed and the latter glancing over her book from her bed.

Giving a short laugh, Yang forced a smile on her face. "Just heading out to the club for the night. Should be back in the morning, so don't worry about me."

Pale blue eyes narrowed at her answer. "That's strange. Because we were already planning on a movie night with Team JNPR, Sun, and Neptune tonight. We were watching that new movie 'Try Hard 2: Try Harderer' you've been wanting to watch since the boys requested it, though I don't understand the hype about it."

"Well, I already planned on going out tonight, so I'll have to rain check. Tell the others I said hi, though," Yang said, quickly moving towards the door.

"Yang."

The blonde paused, looking back to see Blake standing up, book long forgotten. The two stared at each other, not sure who will make the first move. Eventually, Blake sighed and asked, "Just please don't do anything reckless, okay?"

This did earn a small, yet genuine, laugh from the blond. "When am I ever reckless?" With that, she quickly exited the room, not bothering to see the worried expression on her teammates faces as the door slammed shut.

She had a flight to catch.

X

It was slightly cool that night, clouds rolling in and covering the shattered moon in scattered patches. Yang sat hidden in the tree line, her eyes never straying from the sight before her. For the last hour, the Huntress-in-training has been watching the campsite, tracking the movements of anyone who was visible to see their patterns and numbers. From what she can determine, there were roughly fifty men and women cultivating through the camp, though she couldn't tell who was the rumored Tawny Rees. That was the person she would have to watch out for the most.

As the twilight hour fully set in, Yang watched as people began to shamble – some drunkenly – to their tents to turn in for the night. She dared not move an inch until the only lanterns still lit were the ones near the couple of sentries posted at the perimeter of the camp. When her scroll blinked the one o'clock hour, Yang finally decided to make her way towards the camp, determined to find the mask and make it back by breakfast. She also had a lot of steam she needed to blow off, and this was a perfect excuse to do so.

Yang climbed down from the tree and, after making sure everything was in order, strolled out of the tree line and towards the front of the camp. She could feel the confidence filling her with each step, determination to save her sister powering her towards a group of supposed 'degenerates' to beat down if they get in her way.

"Hello? Anyone know a way to the nearest club?" Yang called out, catching the attention of the two guards closest to her, as well as a couple others if the approaching lights from the edges of the camp mean anything.

"I think ya might be a bit lost, mate," one of the guards responded, weapon already in hand and eyes scanning her approaching form. "Ain't no clubs near here, but we can provide a different kind of entertainment, if ya catch my drift."

"Ooooo… I don't think so, big boy. My dad told me to never talk to strangers," Yang countered, stopping just short of the men and propping her hands on her slightly jutted hips. She tilted her head and darkly exclaimed, "Though, you could help me find someone by the name of Tawny Rees. Sound familiar?"

The two guards stared in shock at her, giving her just enough time to explode forward with a gauntlet blast and slam one of the guards into the ground. The other was quickly hit with two shells in the chest, sending him flying into the camp and out of commission.

Alarms were quickly sounded as people slowly staggered out of their tents, armed to the teeth but sluggish from sleep and alcohol. This allowed the blonde to swiftly pick her way through the camp, pure adrenaline driving her to beat down whatever scum stepped in her way.

It took around ten minutes, but Yang soon found herself surrounded by the knocked-out forms of The Parliament, hardly having broken a sweat herself thanks to the night's cool temperature.

Sighing, she made her way towards the largest tent, not too carefully stepping over the guard she had bodied across the camp. She slowly snuck her way inside, eyes flickering around to spot out anymore danger. Walking past displays of material wealth and weaponry, she finally spotted her goal: her mother's mask sitting on a table in the middle of the room.

She reached out to grab it, but reared back as the sounds of a weapon cocking reached her. Flinging herself backwards, she narrowly avoided a volley of bullets that splintered the table and sent the mask flying off to the wall.

A figure dropped down from above her, causing Yang to quickly roll out of the way to miss being hit. Purple eyes watched as the figure slowly stretched up, their towering form becoming more prominent in the moonlight.

The woman standing in front of her was dress in whites and browns, with a feathered headpiece interwoven in her flowing hair. Golden eyes stared back at her as the woman moved her arms into a fighting stance. Attached to her arms were wickedly-shaped gauntlets that stretched down her hands to give her razor-sharp claws.

"You Tawny Rees?" Yang questioned, readying Ember Celica with more rounds.

"That I am. And you're a Huntress, but a cocky one to boot if you attacking my camp means anything. Not that it truly matters though," Tawny replied, firing off a couple of shots before racing forward, claws extended. Yang leapt back to avoid getting hit and shot off some bullets in the process. As the woman skirted around them, Yang came forward with a punch, only to have it blocked and the claws rake her in return. She reared back and went for a couple more hits, surprised to find that not a single one came into contact with its target.

"Don't even bother kid," the woman stated. "My Semblance allows me to see every move you make before you make it." Emphasizing her point, Tawny grabbed an incoming kick with her clawed hand and threw the blonde aside. "So, try all you want, but you'll never land a hit on me."

Each punch, each kick, became more sporadic. More desperate. Yang fired off four shots and raced forward with an arm cocked back for another punch. Only for the woman to simply dodge, grab her arm, and spin her around for a roundhouse kick to the face. Slightly dazed, Yang barely had enough time to throw her arms up to deflect the bladed claws, metal scraping against metal before both opponents backed off to collect themselves once more.

"My, how desperate," Tawny teased. "Desperation makes you sloppy, making it easier for me to see every move you'll make. The next time you want to come after me and my prizes, try not to rush in like a bullheaded child, 'kay. Your desperation will get yourself or someone else killed someday, if it hasn't already."

Something in her just snapped. Yang's eyes flared crimson red and the world around her exploded as her Semblance burst forth. She stared through fiery locks at Tawny, who brought up her weapon with a sadistic smile. Without a word, Yang exploded forward with a flurry of fists, burning through her Semblance in a desperate attempt for land a single hit on the woman.

And it didn't even work.

Tawny simply dodged every fiery blow and delivered her own back at the blazing teen, the battle staying one sided despite Yang's Semblance powering her up. This continued until the last of her reserves ran dry, and the blaze surrounding Yang simmered and got snuffed out. An exhausted Yang could barely react before Tawny was in her face again, grabbing her with a clawed hand and slamming her into the ground, causing the blonde's Aura to shatter on impact. _Even with my Semblance, it didn't work_ , Yang thought. She looked up from the ground, purple eyes locking on the woman and that damn sadistic smile ever present.

"Honestly, kid. You got an impressive Semblance, much flashier than mine, but that doesn't make you more powerful," Tawny said, crouching down in front of the tired teen to stare at her with sharp eyes. "It just makes you more predictable, and easy pickings for those stronger or smarter than you. Consider this a final lesson, _Huntress_." With one fist firmly pinning her down, the woman reared her other arm back, claws outstretched and poised for tearing. With her Aura spent, no chance to reload her gauntlets, and the exhaustion of the last two weeks finally catching up to her, Yang could only watch as Tawny moved to strike her down.

"Hi-ya!"

Tawny is suddenly knocked off of Yang and sent flying back. Yang stares in confusion as a shadowy figure crouches in front of her facing the leader with a weapon drawn. Only until she sees the slight twitching from the figure's head does she figure out who her unknown savior was.

"Blake?!"

The figure turns slightly to acknowledge her, Blake's facial features becoming more refined in the scattered moonlight.

"Hey. Can you stand?" Blake asks, never taking her eyes off their opponent. Nodding, Yang scrambles to her feet and joins her partner, quickly reloading Ember Celica.

"But how – "

"We can talk later. First, we got to take her down," Blake interrupted, readying Gambol Shroud into sword mode.

"Guess you were at least smart enough to bring friends, kid. I'll give you that. But it still won't matter," Tawny said, assuming fighting stance as well. "That'll just be more blood on your hands."

The three ran towards each other, and chaos ensued. The two teens worked together as they forced Tawny to fight a two-front battle. And, surprisingly enough, the two sometimes were able to get a punch or kick in, further irritating their opponent. It wasn't until after Yang got a punch in while Tawny was distracted with Blake that they stared at each other in realization at Tawny's Semblance.

It only worked on one person at a time.

The two girls nodded at each other, seamlessly coming up with a plan to use that little fact against her. They raced forward, sending a volley of bullets to keep her distracted until they got closer.

Yang dove under Tawny's clawed hand, swinging her legs to try and trip her up. Predicting this, Tawny stepped back, only to be nailed in the head as Blake swung around a pole. Blake tosses Gambol Shroud to Yang, who grips it and pulls her forward for another swift kick to the head.

Shouting angrily, Tawny extends a claw at Blake, but finds it shot into scraps from Yang. Blake uses her Semblance to move away as Yang moves in for a quick barrage of punches, driving Tawny back as she expertly dodges them. But that was the plan, as she was so focused on Yang that she didn't notice Blake silently setting up a trip trap with her weapon behind them.

Tawny tripped over the ribbon, sending her sprawling to the ground awkwardly. Before she could recover, Yang dove in and delivered a final blow so hard that the woman's teeth clamped shut and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Yang watched as she dropped like a stone, and was joined by Blake as they waited for her to get up. But she didn't, lying unconscious on the floor in a crumpled heap.

It was finally over.

As Blake went about tying Tawny up, Yang stalked over to the mask, which had fallen behind another table during the scuffle. She nearly sighed in relief when she held it in her hands. _I finally got it_ , Yang thought, examining the thing that had been giving her so much grief to find.

It looked exactly like the replacement one Raven was wearing, but slightly more worn over years of use. Flipping it over, Yang examined the inside of the mask, only to freeze at the sight.

Scattered on the inside were four names, each scrawled in different handwriting. One name was neat and concise, another light and bubbly, while the last two were both spidery. Yang stared in shock as the realization of why this mask was so important to Raven became clear. _These signatures were of the four members of Team STRQ_.

"Is that… a mask?" Blake asked, looking over Yang's shoulder at the object. Yang nodded, grabbing the bag and tossing it in before slinging it over her shoulder and moving out of the tent. The blonde picked her way through the still unconscious forms of The Parliament, not breaking stride. She did what she had to do, and now just wanted to go home and sleep.

"Hey! Wait up!" Blake called out, trying to catch up as Yang exited the camp. Blake grabbed her arm and swung her around to look at her, amber eyes staring at purple with concern.

"Are you okay? What was all of that back there?" the Faunus girl asked, gesturing behind them at the scene of chaos they just left.

"It was nothing, Blake. I had everything under control so you didn't have to come after me," Yang replied, shaking off the ravenette's hold.

"Of course I was coming after you, Yang!" Blake declared, throwing her arms up. "When you left, I couldn't shake a feeling that I needed to follow you. You've been distancing yourself more than usual this last week, and I was worried for you. So, imagine my surprise when you run headfirst into fighting some bandit tribe without any backup. I wasn't just going to sit by and let you do that. I told you not to be reckless, but you were anyway!"

Yang shook her head. "I had to do this, Blake. You wouldn't understand."

"Yeah, you're right. I don't understand. Because you refuse to talk to me. To your teammates. To your friends," Blake scoffed, crossing her arms and leveling her partner with a glare. "We can't understand what's wrong or how to help if you don't talk to us."

"I said I was fine, Blake, I don't need anyone's help. I have to do this alone. Only I can do this."

"Yang, _please_!" Blake yelled, grabbing the blonde's arms. "Please! I can't keep watching you run off and hurting yourself. You almost died tonight, for Oum sakes. How will you recklessly running off and getting yourself killed save your sister, _huh_?!"

Yang froze, because Blake was right. Her actions slowly caught up to her, and so did the heavy realization that if Blake hadn't shown up when she did, she would most likely be dead. She was so focused on getting Ruby back that she's been sacrificing too much of herself in the process. And, for the first time since the whole mess began, Yang collapsed in front of her friend and let her emotions run wild.

Blake stared in shock as her strong and confident teammate broke down before crouching down and pulling her into a hug. The two sat for several minutes as Yang's sobs slowed and her breathing evened.

"Thank you," Yang whispered, pulling back from the girl and giving her a small smile.

"No problem," Blake returned. "Please, Yang. Please help me understand."

Yang nodded after a period of deliberation, her decision made.

She was done doing everything alone. It was finally time to come clean.

X

As they made their way back to town, Yang caught Blake up on the situation, from both times talking to Raven to the information she's gotten on Vulcan. The Faunus's eyes sharpened as Yang explained further the importance of the Grimm-style mask tucked away in Yang's bag, the bow twitching slightly as the weight of their mission set in.

"So that's why you've been weird for the last two weeks…" Blake said once Yang finished, running a hand through her dark curls as she went over the information. "And you're sure that Raven will hold up her side of the bargain?"

Yang shrugged. "I have what she wants and got it done within the time limit. She said she wanted me to prove myself, and I feel that I have so she doesn't really have a reason for backing off from our agreement. Even if she decides to not hold up her side, then I'll just have to beat the Dust from her," Yang said, punching her fists together for emphasis.

"Sure, that sounds about right," Blake laughed before giving her a serious look. "I want to come with."

"Huh?"

"I want to be there for your meeting with Raven tonight," Blake clarified. She put a hand up to stop the blonde's oncoming rant. "I know you feel like you have to do all of this yourself because Ruby is your sister. But she's also our teammate and our friend. You're my friend, too, and I can't sit by anymore and watch you tear yourself apart trying to bring her back."

Yang's eyes widened in shock as her usually stoic teammate pulled her into another hug with surprising force before eventually melting into it. They separated after several beats, amber eyes staring at purple with sincerity. "You helped me when I was so obsessed with the White Fang that I almost lost myself. So, please. Let me help you."

Chocking back her emotions, Yang gave her friend a nod, thanking her for being there earlier and being there now so she won't be alone anymore.

Long before the sun had risen, the two girls boarded the first aircraft back to Beacon Academy. They must've been quite the sight: two Huntress-in-training covered in dried dirt and battle-worn clothes. But no one called them out for it since that was the typical look for Huntsmen and Huntresses returning from a mission, allowing them to return to campus without being called out.

As the two girls walked down the hall toward their dorm room, the Grimm-like mask hidden in a backpack, they spoke about normal things like homework and classes. When they got to their door, Black grabbed ahold of Yang's hand and gave it a slight squeeze. Yang smiled softly at the encouragement and open it softly as to not disturb their roommate. The two slipped into the room and gave a sigh of relief before the lights flicked on, making them jump simultaneously in surprise.

They whipped around to see Weiss sitting at her desk, wearing her nightgown and hand on the lamp now shining on the two others. She slowly readjusted, folding both hands on the book in her lap and eyeing the two guilty-looking girls and the bag slung over Yang's shoulder.

"So… What have you two been up to?"

X

 **And that's a wrap! Man, with this COVID-19 quarantine not allowing me to go to school, I'm going to have a lot more time to write. Thank you to all who have favorited and followed the story so far, and I want to give a special shout out to UltimateAvengers for the comment since the last chapter. See you next time! :)**


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